Attractiveness of chemical products to children

In Switzerland, it is predominantly children who are affected by poisonings with chemical products. In 2018, there were over 5,000 cases of poisoning with household products among children under the age of 16 (Weiler & Kupferschmidt, 2020). The project aims to understand the circumstances in which poisonings can occur in order to derive regulatory measures or communication materials from scientific evidence. Primarily, the project investigates which product and situational factors make chemical products attractive to children. Secondarily, it will also be investigated to what extent certain product attributes contribute to parents underestimating the danger. This can lead to products not being stored or handled safely, which in turn could give children access to the products. The project is being carried out in collaboration with the Federal Office of Public Health.