By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Some Nigerians have raised alarm over effects of mixing hypo bleach with other disinfectants while washing toilets, clothes or cleaning the house, surfaces and offices.
One of the victims of the effect of this mixture, a resident of Abuja who pleaded anonymity, narrated her encounter to Naturenews.
The source narrated that she poured hypo bleach into a bucket that already has a combination of izal and detergent in it while preparing to thoroughly clean her house.
She started gasping for breath after she inhaled the gas coming from the mixture.
According to her, the incident which occurred on April 3, made her uncomfortable as she was unable to breathe. She explained that she does not have any history of respiratory disease and that the incident was the first time in her life she had issues breathing.
She said, ‘’ I poured hypo in a bucket with detergent and Izal to clean the house. I also poured toilet cleaner into the water cistern to enable wash the toilet. I immediately started gasping for breath after I inhaled the smell from it.
‘’I have never experienced this in my life. It was a life threatening experience. I had to drink palm oil to restore myself but it still wasn’t helping. I stayed outside the house for almost 2 hours to breathe fresh air but I was still choked and couldn’t breathe normally.
‘’I didn’t know how dangerous it is until my cousin, who came to visit explained that people have shared similar experiences. We had to quickly rush to the pharmacy for medications.’’
Another victim of this experience is a lady who shared her experience via WhatsApp message. The lady whose name is Janet Oyeronke Adisa, said that she had similar experience in his house on March 29.
“I poured bleach into the bowl. I later realized I had toilet cleaner at home, I added it to the toilet bowl. I left it for a while before washing. As I was washing the toilet bowl, I perceived a terrible gas coming out of it.
‘’My thought was, what could have been the cause of this gas. All of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe properly and started getting choky.
‘’I had to leave that bathroom and took my bath in the other one. Before I could finish, my breathing had changed. I came out of the bathroom and told my husband to pray for me. By that time, my chest was tightening up and we rushed to the pharmacy to get Ventolin tablet. As we arrived the pharmacy, I was given an inhaler and I was inhaling it at intervals.’’
Another resident of Port Harcourt, also narrated her experience to Naturenews, saying that she drank coconut water to relieve herself after inhaling the gas.
Reacting to this, a medical doctor, Dr. Chika Nwogwugwu, explained that the reaction most people are experiencing is an allergic reaction.
He explained that allergic reactions are quite common and may happen seconds to hours after contact with the allergen. Some reactions may take more than 24 hours to appear.
He noted that an allergic reaction begins when you touch, inhale or swallow an allergen, adding that though many allergic reactions are mild, others may be dangerous or life-threatening
He also explained that the reaction could also be as a result of chlorine poisoning.
Naturenews reports that chlorine is a chemical that inhibits bacterial growth in water. It’s used to disinfect swimming pools and drinking water and sanitize sewage and industrial waste. It’s also an active ingredient in several cleaning products.
Chlorine poisoning can occur when you touch, swallow, or inhale chlorine. Chlorine reacts with water outside of the body and on mucosal surfaces inside your body — including the water in your digestive tract — causing hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid to form. Both of these substances can be extremely poisonous to humans.
He said that some common household products and substances containing chlorine include: chlorine tablets used in swimming pools, swimming pool water, mild household cleaners and bleach products.
Chlorine poisoning can cause respiratory symptoms include coughing, difficulty breathing, fluid inside the lungs, burning in the mouth, swelling of the throat and among others.
Giving advice on how to treat chlorine poisoning, he urged that victims should seek medical assistance immediately if you or your child comes into contact with chlorine.
‘’If you get chlorine on your skin, immediately wash it with soap and water. If you get it in your eyes, flush them with running water for at least 15 minutes, take out contact lenses first if present. Remove any clothes that were on the areas of the body exposed to chlorine.
‘’If you accidentally swallow chlorine, drink milk or water immediately, unless you experience vomiting or convulsions.
‘’If you inhale chlorine, seek fresh air as soon as possible. Going to the highest possible ground to seek fresh air is helpful because chlorine is heavier than air.’’
Naturenews also gathered that allergic reactions are exaggerated sensitivities (hypersensitive reactions) that occur when your immune system responds abnormally to common substances such as pollen, dust and certain foods.
These substances, called allergens, are harmless in a majority of people. But for those who are allergic, they can cause reactions upon skin contact or when they are breathed, swallowed or injected.