Children and Parents’ Awareness Regarding Potential Hazards Derived from the Use of Chemical Products in Greece

Abstract

Over the last decades, human activities prompted the high production and widespread use of household chemical products, leading to daily exposure of humans to several chemicals. The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of chemicals’ use by children and parents in Greece and estimate the level of risk awareness and understanding among them. A total of 575 parents and children were asked to answer an anonymous, closed-ended, validated, and self-administered questionnaire. One-third of the children and almost half of the parents participating in the study believed that commonly used chemical products do not pose any risk to human health or to the environment, despite the product labelling. The majority of both children (61.8%) and parents (70.6%) were informed about product safety via the product labelling. Around 20% in both groups could not differentiate between systemic toxicity and acute lethal effects depicted by pictograms on the label and milder hazards, such as skin irritation. Moreover, the information on hazard and precautionary statements appearing on the label was very poorly perceived. Therefore, as both children and parents seem not to clearly identify the hazards and risks arising from the use of everyday chemical products, targeted awareness policies should be implemented to support the safe use of household products.

Profile of Childhood Poisoning and Its Outcomes in the United States: A One-Year Nationwide Study of Emergency and Inpatient Admissions

“…The CPSC mandated child-resistant packaging for certain household products, resulting in a reduction in accidental poisonings in young children [ 11 ]. Public education campaigns aimed at parents and caregivers have also been effective in raising awareness about the safe storage of household products, proper medication use, and identification of toxic substances [ 12 ]. The regulation of hazardous substances through legislation such as the Toxic Substances Control Act [ 13 ] and the Poison Prevention Packaging Act [ 14 ] has also been an important strategy.…”