Evaluating the Prevention and Management of Accidental Poisoning from Household Chemicals in the Nkwen Area, Bamenda, Cameroon

Poisonings from household chemicals such as cleaning products and cosmetics are common occurrences and can cause acute respiratory infections and cancer. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the level of prevention and management of accidental poisoning from household chemicals in the Nkwen Area in Bamenda, Cameroon. A cross-sectional population based descriptive study was undertaken in miles three and four Nkwen, Bamenda in which 110 households were randomly selected to take part. The evaluation was carried out by the use of a questionnaire survey. From the results obtained, detergents and cosmetics were the most available chemicals used in these areas, with cosmetics contributing to 32.22% of poisoned cases while detergents contributed to 51.11% of the poisoned cases. It was also found that most of the poisoned cases were not taken to the hospital. In conclusion, this study had shown that the level of prevention and management of accidental poisoning from household chemicals in the study areas were generally poor.