Yasmina Kattou, edited by Yanis Darras / Photo credits: Pexels
More than a hundred children were burned at school between 2017 and 2022 in France. In question: the misuse of certain corrosive household products, especially in the toilets or on the tables. Places in contact with children’s skin extensively. ANSES calls for greater vigilance.
It is a paradox that may surprise. However, in kindergartens, children have been put in danger, not by lack of hygiene, but by lack of caution in the use of certain household products. Thus, between 2017 and 2022, nearly 118 schoolchildren suffered from skin burns. The cause: corrosive cleaning products used to clean the toilets during this period.
Burns can have serious consequences, with some victims sometimes requiring a transplant. “These were often burns on the buttocks of little girls under the age of six who had sat on a toilet bowl for which the product had not been used properly”, explains to the microphone of Europe 1, Juliette Bloch, Director of Vigilance and Health Alerts at ANSES.
Do not hesitate to report it
Often, “either the product had been used pure when it should have been diluted, or we could end up in the case where we used a product for the floor to disinfect tables in contact with people’s skin”, continues the director.
“What ANSES recommends to avoid this kind of injury is already to use products that are appropriate for the surfaces to be disinfected, and also products whose instructions for use are clear and simple. As for parents who observe this on their child’s buttocks when they return from kindergarten or primary school, they must report it to the school because very likely other children may be affected. that we will have to take preventive measures in the school”, concludes Juliette Bloch.