Worrying social experiment reveals how toddlers are more likely to choose brightly colored bottles of hazardous cleaning products than their own toys 

  • More than half of children pick hazardous products in social experiment
  • Youngsters play with bleach, paint and dishwasher tablets in shocking film
  • Dutch public service advert made after 7,500 chemical accidents recorded

By Caroline Garnar For Mailonline

Published: 11:53 EST, 16 October 2015 | Updated: 00:28 EST, 17 October 2015

A worrying new film shows how young children are more attracted to the brightly coloured bottles of hazardous cleaning products than they are to a soft toy.

The filmed social experiment involved giving toddlers the choice of which item they wanted to grab - and more than half reach for the hazardous products.

The voice-over on the Dutch public service video reveals that 50 per cent of the youngsters went for stain remover, 64 per cent went for paint and most shockingly 82 per cent went for bleach.   

The voice-over tells that 50% of the youngsters went for stain remover, 64% went for paint and most shockingly 82% went for bleach

The voice-over tells that 50% of the youngsters went for stain remover, 64% went for paint and most shockingly 82% went for bleach

In total, 51 per cent of the children opted for the household chemicals over the toys. 

The advert was made after the country's government recorded that 7,500 accidents occur because of household chemicals in the Netherlands.

And in most cases the victims are young children. 

As the children are faced with the apparently worryingly tricky choice, hidden cameras, eye-tracking sensors and heart rate monitors measure their attraction to the different objects.

In the footage you see the gaze of three youngsters drawn to bright coloured bottles of bleach.

In the footage you see the gaze of three youngsters drawn to bright coloured bottles of bleach

In the footage you see the gaze of three youngsters drawn to bright coloured bottles of bleach

The video is for a Dutch public service advert made after the country's government recorded that 7,500 accidents occur because of household chemicals in the Netherlands

The video is for a Dutch public service advert made after the country's government recorded that 7,500 accidents occur because of household chemicals in the Netherlands

A young boy smiles and reaches over to a pink squirty bottle of household cleaner, shunning a pink cuddly toy, and another looks thrilled that he gets to play with a bottle of green chemicals over a fluffy bunny.

After a short deliberation a girl points and smiles at a pot of green paint over a multi-coloured cuddly toy.

Others look from one to the other, unsure which to pick, while a couple of boys are seen playing with dishwasher tablets.

Another boy gets really attached to bottle of bleach, trying desperately to get the lid off.

Not all of the children seen pick the chemical - with a little girl shunning the bleach for a fluffy bunny. At the end, the campaign gives a simple message 'Don't give kids a choice'

Not all of the children seen pick the chemical - with a little girl shunning the bleach for a fluffy bunny. At the end, the campaign gives a simple message 'Don't give kids a choice'

As the children are faced with the apparently worryingly tricky choice, hidden cameras, eye-tracking sensors and heart rate monitors measure their attraction to the different objects

As the children are faced with the apparently worryingly tricky choice, hidden cameras, eye-tracking sensors and heart rate monitors measure their attraction to the different objects

Not all of the children seen pick the chemical - with a little girl shunning the bleach for a fluffy bunny, and a young boy smiling and giggling at a pink doll over a pink cleaning spray.

At the end, the campaign gives a simple message 'Don't give kids a choice'. 

'Every year thousands of infants need medical care for poisoning from products commonly found in and around the home,' says The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents website.

'Whilst long-term injury is rare, the anxiety and distress caused to both child and parents could be avoided by increased awareness.'

The website reports that most accidental poisoning happens to children younger than five years old - with children aged one to three years being most at risk - and says on average 15 under fives are admitted to hospital each day due to suspected poisoning.  

AVOIDING ACCIDENTS WITH HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents lists these pointers for parents:

  • Closely supervise children in and around the home
  • Keep household chemicals out of sight and reach of children, preferably in a locked cupboard. Remember this also applies to the garage and shed.
  • Always store household cleaning chemicals in their original containers.
  • Replace lids and put all products away immediately after use.
  • Dispose of unwanted household cleaning products safely.
  • Store household cleaning products in a different place from food and medicine.
  • Use household cleaning products according to label directions.
  • Mixing household products can cause dangerous gases to form.

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