Household chemical exposure for children and how to prevent it

By Wejuli Jr Mike

It’s a typical weekday morning. You’re rushing to get ready for work, packing bags, dressing the kids, and grabbing a quick bite. In the flurry, your two-year-old toddles off to the sitting room, where you left them playing with their toys. The maid is doing laundry in the corridor, and your older child is glued to the TV.

You assume everything is under control. But in the quiet moments when no one’s watching too closely, your toddler discovers a half-used bottle of toilet cleaner under the sink, or perhaps a stray tablet of insecticide behind the fridge. It’s colourful. It smells strong and interesting. To them, it looks like something worth exploring.

One curious taste or touch, and within minutes, what seemed like a normal day could spiral into a medical emergency. This is not fiction. It’s the everyday reality of many homes across Uganda and beyond. Most of us trust that our children are safe inside our houses, but the truth is that many hazards lie not outside but within.

We often leave babies with maids, siblings, or even let them play alone for a while. What we rarely stop to consider is what they’re interacting with in those quiet moments. Unfortunately, some of these items, such as cleaning agents, beauty products, and pesticides, are not only unsafe but also toxic, and in some cases, deadly.

What are these chemicals, and where are they found?

Household chemicals are everywhere. They are under the kitchen sink, in bathroom cabinets, laundry rooms, and even in our handbags. These include:

1. Cleaning products like bleach, ammonia, toilet bowl cleaners, and dishwashing detergents.
2. Pesticides are used to kill insects, ants, or rodents.
3. Personal care items such as nail polish remover, perfumes, deodorants, and hair sprays.
4. Paints, glues, and solvents found in garages or store rooms.
5. Batteries, fuel, and motor oil, which is often left lying around in homes with little ones.

Many of these substances are brightly colored or pleasantly scented, making them even more attractive to curious children who explore their world by touching, tasting, and sniffing.

Pathways of exposure

Children aren’t just tiny adults, but they behave differently, and their bodies react differently too. They explore by crawling, putting things in their mouths, and touching everything within reach. This makes them especially vulnerable to chemical exposure through:

1. Ingestion: Swallowing substances like detergents or medications.
2. Inhalation: Breathing in fumes from sprays, air fresheners, or cleaning agents.
3. Skin absorption: Touching surfaces with residues of chemicals like bleach or pesticides.
4. Cross-contamination: Touching toys, bottles, or pacifiers after coming into contact with chemical-laced surfaces.

Even minute amounts of these chemicals can have serious consequences for children, whose immune systems and organs are still developing.

The effects of household chemical exposure range from mild to life-threatening, and these include:

1. Respiratory issues like coughing, wheezing, or asthma exacerbations.
2. Skin irritation and allergic reactions, including rashes or burns.
3. Gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, diarrhoea, or abdominal pain.
4. Neurological effects, including dizziness, confusion, seizures, or even coma in extreme cases.
5. Chronic conditions: Prolonged exposure to low levels of some chemicals has been linked to developmental delays, hormonal disruptions, and increased cancer risks later in life.
6. Death of the child

Although the chemicals affect both children and adults, children, especially those under 5 years, are more vulnerable due to many reasons, including: 

1. Their bodies are smaller, so they receive a larger dose of the chemical per body weight.
2. They breathe more rapidly, increasing their exposure to airborne toxins.
3. Their detoxifying organs, like the liver and kidneys, are still developing, making it harder for their bodies to process and eliminate toxins.
4. They often play close to the ground, where chemical residues tend to settle.
5. They explore with their mouths, making accidental ingestion more likely.

In a world full of conveniences and modern solutions, we sometimes overlook the silent dangers lurking in our homes. Protecting children from household chemicals is not just a safety measure, but it’s a moral responsibility. It’s about creating an environment where children can grow, play, and thrive without being exposed to unseen risks. Key to note is the following actions:

1. Store chemicals out of reach and in locked cabinets.
2. Avoid transferring chemicals into food or drink containers eg putting sugar is containers that had paint.
3. Read and follow labels carefully before using any product.
4. Clean up spills immediately and safely discard expired or unused chemicals.
5. Use child-safe alternatives wherever possible—natural cleaners like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice can be effective substitutes.
6. Educate your household staff and older children on chemical safety and first aid.

In conclusion, without proper attention, homes can become minefields for our children. The colourful detergent bottle might look like a toy; the sweet-smelling spray might seem like candy. But the consequences of exposure are far from innocent.

By understanding the risks, the pathways of exposure, and the serious implications, we can better protect our children. After all, safety begins not in the walls of our homes, but in the awareness we cultivate and the actions we take.