The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has claimed that 40% of Americans are using bleach to wash their food to prevent coronavirus infections.
According to Fox News' latest report, over a third of Americans are misusing their household cleaners by cleaning their fruits and vegetables with disinfectants to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The results were acquired from a survey conducted by the CDC.
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The inquiries of people to poison control centers regarding disinfectants and household cleaners went up since the beginning of the global pandemic. "Thirty-nine percent of respondents reported engaging in non-recommended high-risk practices with the intent of preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, such as washing food products with bleach, applying household cleaning or disinfectant products to bare skin, and intentionally inhaling or ingesting these products," stated the CDC in the report.
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An online survey was completed in the United States in May, to identify people's knowledge and use of household disinfectants; 502 Americans were involved in the survey. It focused on individuals between the ages of 18-86, with a median age of 46. Majority of the respondents identified as non-Hispanic white while 52% were women. The CDC stated that the results of the survey suggested that there is a need to share more information on safe practices involving household disinfectants that may cause severe injuries.
CDC's survey found 40% of Americans are using bleach to clean food and for gargling: Severe tissue damage and corrosive injury might occur
The CDC said that the online survey helped identify knowledge gaps in the safe use of disinfectants and other householder cleaners used by Americans. "The largest gaps were found in knowledge about safe preparation of cleaning and disinfectant solutions and about the storage of hand sanitizers out of the reach of children," added the CDC.
It also reported that health risks like severe tissue damage and corrosive injury may be caused by disinfectants when used to clean fruits and vegetables. The CDC said that these products should be strictly avoided.
According to CNN's latest report, other Americans used disinfectants such as bleach to clean their bodies and to gargle with. People said they are doing this more frequently because of the global pandemic. However, only half of them confirmed that they really knew how to use the disinfectants safely.
More people who participated in the survey admitted that they used high-risk cleaning practices to prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus. The report stated that the biggest problem is the limited understanding of people on how to prepare cleaning solutions properly. Only 23% of the participants knew that only room temperature water is appropriate to dilute bleach solutions.
