MSU experts offer safety tips on proper chemical storage during National Poison Prevention Week
March 20, 2025
‘Store chemicals in labeled containers’
A grandmother took several sips of bleach after mistaking a bottle of bleach for her water bottle. Her grandchildren had put bleach in a clear water bottle while cleaning. She developed abdominal pain, pain in her nose and throat, diarrhea, and had multiple episodes of vomiting.
She is among 52 in Michigan who sought medical care after being sickened by exposure to cleaning agents, pesticide and disinfectant products in 2024, according to data collected by Michigan State University College of Human Medicine’s Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
MSU researchers released the findings at the start of National Poison Prevention Week March 16 – 21, observed each year to emphasize the importance of safely using and storing chemicals.
“Inadvertently drinking chemicals that are stored improperly can happen to anyone, at work or at home,” said Kenneth Rosenman, MD, chief of the College of Human Medicine Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and co-investigator on the research. “The best way to prevent exposure is to keep the chemical in its original container or one that is properly labeled.”
Over the last 26 months, 10% of reported illnesses occurred after an individual was exposed to a disinfectant product stored in a container without a label or within reach of a child.
In another recent case, a young woman was working at a fast-food restaurant when she drank from a cup containing a disinfectant that she mistook for her drinking cup. She developed nausea and abdominal pain and sought medical assistance in the emergency department where they consulted with the poison center
Of the incidents reported in 2024, four children and seven adults were exposed to a pesticide or disinfectant product that was not properly stored and sought medical attention after developing symptoms. For the children, these exposures most often occurred because the product was within reach of a child. For the adults, the exposures occurred most often because the container with the disinfectant was one that could easily be mistaken for a drinking container.
“Children are natural explores and they want to learn everything about their environment. I have personal experience that an exposure can happen within the blink of an eye,” said Laurel Harduar Morano, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Medicine and co-investigator on the research.
While most poisonings among children are from disinfectants and occasionally insecticides, she reports there are also many calls to poison control about children eating moth balls or sticky ant bait traps.
“The best prevention is to keep disinfectants and insecticides in a locked (or child proof) cabinet,” Harduar Morano said. “Also get in the habit of always turning the safety locks on spray bottles to prevent little hands from spraying themselves with a dangerous chemical.”
Safety Tips
The Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine provides these simple steps to help prevent illnesses and injuries from disinfectant/pesticide exposures:
- Store cleaning agents, pesticides and disinfectant products in the original container or other properly labeled container can prevent harmful exposures. Important information regarding safe handling and application can be found on the label.
- Do not put disinfectant products in objects that resemble drinking containers even while using the chemical.
- Ensure cleaning agents, disinfectant products, or pesticides are stored out of reach and out of sight of children. This includes ant traps and moth balls that may be currently in use.
- Do not mix or simultaneously use different disinfectant products.
- If you use disinfectants at work, ensure proper labeling on any container that contains a disinfectant product.
If Exposure Occurs
If you think you may have ingested or otherwise been exposed to a pesticide or disinfectant, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
More information about pesticide exposures and illness across the state are available on Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s website, including the 2024 Pesticide Illness Injury Fact Sheet.
Contact: Emily Linnert, wagnerem@msu.edu, 517-256-7773; Hailey TenHarmsel, yondohai@msu.edu, 517-353-8593.