Dangerous Chemicals in Your Closet

Bleach, acids and alkaline-based products can injure as they clean.

By Mohamed Daya, M.D., and David B. Chandler, PhD.
Most commercial cleaning products if used as directed by the manufacturer's labels
should not produce any signifcant health efects. o!ever, a number of these
products have the potential to produce a variety of adverse health efects if used
improperly "incorrect dilution or application# or if mi$ed !ith other cleaning agents.
%ne of the most common is bleach. &he active ingredient in most products containing
bleach is sodium hypochlorite in concentrations ranging from ' percent to ( percent
"!ith a p level up to )).*#.
+ome bleach solutions may also contain silicate "), percent to )- percent# and
sodium carbonate "(* percent# and have a p of )*.,. Bleaching agents are efective
because they react !ith atmospheric carbon dio$ide to produce hypochlorous acid,
!hich chemically decomposes to produce o$ygen free radicals.
%$ygen free radicals are believed to be responsible for the bleaching and disinfecting
activity as !ell as the to$ic efects associated !ith these compounds.
Health Efects
+ymptoms follo!ing e$posure to bleach !ill depend on the volume, viscosity, p,
concentration, and duration of contact. .s an o$idi/ing agent, sodium hypochlorite is
corrosive to tissue. +olutions containing less than ( percent sodium hypochlorite !ill
cause signifcant in0ury only after prolonged or e$tensive e$posure.
o!ever, concentrated solutions can produce more severe tissue in0ury !ith less1
e$tensive e$posure. +2in or eye e$posure produces local burning and irritation.
3nhaling sodium hypochlorite fumes may lead to sore throat, cough, !hee/ing,
shortness of breath, and pulmonary edema "4uid in the lungs#.
3ngesting household bleach can cause oral, esophageal and gastric burns as !ell as
produce nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
cid-Containing !roducts
&oilet bo!l cleaners contain various concentrations of corrosive agents, including
such compounds as sulfuric acid "5* percent#, hydrochloric acid ")* percent to 6,
percent#, o$alic acid "6 percent# or sodium bisulfate "-* percent to )** percent#.
%ther acid1containing products !hich are corrosive in nature include drain cleaners
"sulfuric acid or sodium hydro$ide#, metal cleaners and anti1rust compounds
"hydro4uoric, phosphoric, o$alic, hydrochloric, sulfuric or chromic acids#. &he cleaning
properties associated !ith these products are thought to stem from the corrosive
nature of these compounds.
+ymptoms follo!ing e$posure to any of them !ill depend on the route, concentration
and duration of contact. .cids produce their corrosive efects by directly damaging
the surface layers of tissues. 7$cept for hydro4uoric acid, the surface in0ury produced
by acids prevents further penetration of the s2in, limiting the e$tent of in0ury.
7fects to the s2in follo!ing e$posure can range from reddening and s!elling to
blister formation and overt s2in destruction. 7ye e$posure may result in burning,
pain, redness and corneal damage.
3nhaling acid fumes can cause sore throat, coughing, !hee/ing and shortness of
breath. +evere e$posure can lead to pulmonary edema, although this is not li2ely to
occur !ith most household cleaning products.
3ngestion can lead to severe oral, esophageal and8or gastric burns, nausea, vomiting
and abdominal pain.
mmoniated !roducts
.mmonia1based cleaning products are also fre9uently used in commercial settings.
&hese products are classifed as al2aline "caustic# and contain from ' percent to )*
percent ammonium hydro$ide.
%ther al2aline cleaning products include drain cleaners "sodium hydro$ide#,
automatic dish!ashing detergents "sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium metasilicate,
sodium silicate, sodium carbonate# and oven cleaners "sodium hydro$ide#. &he
caustic nature of these compounds is thought to account for their cleaning
properties.
&he clinical efects from e$posure to caustic compounds !ill depend on the
concentration and the amount of contact. .l2aline agents directly damage tissues.
But unli2e acid solutions, al2aline solutions have the potential for more serious tissue
damage because their ability to solubili/e s2in fats and proteins lets them penetrate
more deeply.
+2in contact !ith an al2aline solution !ill produce a soapy feel and result in severe
pain, blister formation, and tissue destruction. 7ye e$posure may bring burning, pain,
redness and severe corneal in0ury.
3nhaling ammonia or other al2aline fumes !ill produce burning pain in the nose,
mouth, throat and chest. More severe e$posure can cause hoarseness, coughing and
di:culty in breathing. 3ngestion can lead to severe oral, esophageal and8or gastric
burns, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
"i#ing Cleaning !roducts
;hile casual e$posure to any of these products can be dangerous, e$posure to a
combination of them can be deadly. 3n an attempt to ma2e cleaning products !or2
better and faster, !or2ers have been 2no!n to mi$ multiple cleaning agents. But
indiscriminate mi$ing of products can lead to the release of to$ic gases.
<or e$ample, if bleach is mi$ed !ith an acid1containing toilet bo!l cleaner, the result
!ill be the release of deadly chlorine gas. 3f bleach is mi$ed !ith an ammonia1based
cleaning agent, harmful chloramine gas 11 both monochloramine and dichloramine 11
!ill be generated.
&he amount of damage depends on ho! much !as inhaled 11 and for ho! long.
Chlorine gas reacts !ith !ater1containing tissues "eyes, mouth and lungs# to produce
hypochlorous acid and o$ygen free radicals.
7$posure to lo! concentrations of chlorine 11 ) to )* parts per million "ppm# 11 may
cause burning of the eyes, sore throat and cough. igher concentrations "'* to ,*
ppm# can lead to more severe coughing, shortness of breath, !hee/ing and
pulmonary edema. 3f chlorine vapors become trapped in clothes, they can cause s2in
in0ury.
.nyone e$posed to chlorine gas should be moved 9uic2ly to fresh air. &his must be
done cautiously to avoid e$posing to rescuers to the fumes.
3ndividuals !ith signifcant s2in e$posure should have their clothes removed and s2in
!ashed thoroughly. 3n most instances, symptoms !ill disappear once the e$posure
ends. Persistent symptoms need to be further evaluated.
Chloramine E#posure
+imilarly, !hen chloramine gas contacts the mucous membranes, it forms
hypochlorous acid and o$ygen free radicals 11 potent o$idi/ing agents 11 that produce
direct in0ury to !hatever tissue they contact. Because chloramine cannot be !ashed
a!ay as easily as chlorine, it can cause more serious damage.
Cleaning in confned spaces such as restrooms in the presence of chloramine gas can
result in cough, sore throat, !hee/ing and pulmonary edema. &hose e$posed to the
gas should be removed and treated li2e victims of chlorine gas e$posure.
Most commercial cleaning products contain lo! concentrations of bleach, corrosives
or caustic substances and are not li2ely to be health ha/ards if used properly.
o!ever, the mi$ing of bleach !ith acid1 or ammonia1containing cleaning products
can be fatal. ;or2ers should be !arned and discouraged from mi$ing any cleaning
products.
Mohamed Daya, M.D., is medical director and David B. Chandler, .D, is director of Chemical and =is2 3nformation
+ystem at the %regon ealth +ciences >niversity in Portland, %=.
Copyright ?ational &rade Publications, 3nc.