Risky cleaning behaviors on the rise nationwide; remain normal in our area.

YUMA, Ariz (KECY/KYMA) - The fear of Coronavirus has us immediately washing our hands when we get through the door of our homes. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen some risky cleaning behaviors that are putting lives at risk.

Mike Erfert with the Yuma Fire Department says that responding to these kinds of calls is nothing out of the usual in our area but in the past 4 months, a spike in calls has not been seen.

"One case of a detergent pod, another of varnish where a child drank some varnish another with lighter fluid," said Erfert. "Of those 8 calls that we’ve had, a number of those have been adults too."

Just because they go unreported it doesn't mean these risky behaviors are not happening. In a report released by The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) almost a third of those interviewed say they’ve done something risky when cleaning during this time.

It is estimated that 165 children are seen in emergency rooms for accidental ingestion of household products every day nationally," said Erfert. "Maybe its something that’s put in a normal container because you only need a small amount and someone comes and says ‘oh something drink.”

That same report claimed that people even went as far as putting bleach in their food or even gargling it.

"The most common call we received was calls related to bleach," said Erfert. "They find their way out the container they are supposed to be in like a drinking glass.”

But one of the most important things to keep in mind is to properly store odorless and colorless chemicals, one of the most common and riskiest of bad habits.

"Maybe its something that people are doing right now, said Erfert. "That in-depth cleaning at home.”