It’s becoming safer to be a little kid, at least when it comes to accidents involving cleaning products, U.S. researchers said Monday.

Using national data from emergency departments, they found the number of injuries from products such as bleach, ammonia, and laundry detergent had dropped by nearly half between 1990 and 2006.

“We were surprised to see such a large decrease,” said lead researcher Lara McKenzie, of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “The bad news is, we still saw more than 267,000 cases.”

The researchers focused on kids younger than six years, who account for about half of all poisonings. McKenzie said household chemicals were especially alluring to little kids because of their powerful scents and bright colors. And it doesn’t help that they like to put everything in their mouth.

In 2006, there were nearly 12,000 injuries, down from more than 22,000 in 1990. That corresponds to about 5 and 10 cases per 10,000 kids in the U.S., respectively.

Most had swallowed the chemicals, with bleach topping the list and accounting for more than a third of injuries. When it comes into contact with the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, it causes severe chemical burns.

McKenzie, who studies parent safety practices, said she had found that people often store bleach in kitchenware such pots and pans instead of the original container. As a consequence, she advises always to keep cleaning products in their original container.

Since 1970, the Poison Prevention Packaging Act has required many cleaning products to be sold in child-proof packaging. Although the study only went back as far as 1990, the researchers say this law may be responsible for a large part of the decline in accidents.

The only type of packaging for which the number of injuries didn’t drop was spray bottles. McKenzie said it was very easy for a toddler to press the trigger on a spray bottle, and that she wasn’t aware of any child-proof versions.

The cases registered in the new study only make up a small percentage of all injuries related to cleaning products. Often, parents reach out to poison control centers, which advise on how to handle the situation and whether to see a doctor.

Despite the good news, McKenzie said the numbers were still much too high. She added that studies had shown many parents lagged behind in keeping chemicals away from kids.

“A lot of people keep stuff under the sink,” she said. “What makes the situation safer for children is to store products in locked places out of reach.”

She advised: “If your child is breathing but you suspect he or she has swallowed some cleaning product, call a poison control center.”

SOURCE:  Pediatrics 2010