Household chemicals study, 1991

This study arose from a concern expressed by the National Health and Medical Research Council about the need to reduce the rate of accidental death resulting from poisoning in the home. The survey was designed to assess: (1) the extent of community understanding of the hazards associated with the use of various domestic chemicals; (2) awareness of, attitudes to and behaviour relating to warning statements and first aid and safety directions on the labels of domestic chemical products; (3) the impact of packaging of these products; and (4) the range of formulated chemical products used in the home. Survey items covered beliefs about harmfulness of products, attentiveness to instructions and warnings, awareness of the seriousness of various accidents with household chemicals, experience with and responses to accidental poisoning, and the effectiveness of different types of package information. Background variables covered were age, sex, educational level, occupation, marital status, income, stage of life, household composition, country of birth, and difficulties with English or reading in general An additional audit, administered to part of the total sample, recorded the presence and storage details of a large range of household chemicals including drugs/medication, cleaning substances, laundry products, handyman products, pesticides, garden products and veterinary products.