More than 500 people poisoned by household cleaners in WC in 6 months - Poisons Information Helpline

Tasleem Gierdien

Tasleem Gierdien

15 October 2025 | 7:45

Nearly half of these cases involved children.

More than 500 people poisoned by household cleaners in WC in 6 months - Poisons Information Helpline

Cleaning / Pixabay: renkilde

According to data from the provincial Poisons Information Helpline, over 500 people in the Western Cape were poisoned by common household cleaners, such as bleach, detergents, air fresheners, and polishers, in just six months.

Nearly half of these cases involved children.

Cindy-Lee Golding, a specialist at the Tygerberg Poison Information Centre, explains how these poisonings might occur.

"This is quite a worrying number, but these kinds of poisonings can happen so easily because most of the time containers are not properly closed after use, or people pour the cleaners in other bottles like water bottles or cool drink bottles, and then someone, often a child, might think it's safe to drink.

"We also see cases where these products are left within reach of children, maybe under the sink or under the bathroom counter. So, it's usually not about negligence; it's just those quick, everyday moments that can unfortunately lead to something serious.

"About 99.9% of these cases are people who do not lock their cabinets, or it's [household cleaners] just displayed on cabinets. We rarely get cases where the cupboard would be locked."

Golding adds that other cases involve people mixing household cleaning products, which might produce chlorine gas.

If this happens, it's recommended to ventilate the area thoroughly by opening all doors and windows and leaving the premises for a few minutes.

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