| We can all appreciate the value of common bleach | | | | various explosive devices. |
| when we need to sterilize something and want it done | | | | To give you an idea just how nasty the chloramines |
| right. I can remember my mother as she seemed to | | | | really are, there was once a man who lived in an |
| use bleach for just about everything. She would clean | | | | apartment building. He got annoyed with people using |
| the floors with it. When the coffee cups were stained | | | | his outside stairway and so he proceeded to mix |
| she would pour a bit of bleach in each one and let it | | | | ammonia and bleach together and he then poured it |
| set for a while after which she would wash the cups | | | | onto the stairway in an attempt to discourage people |
| as she usually did. When doing the wash she would | | | | from using it. Since this combination made chloramines |
| never forget to add a cup of bleach to the whites to | | | | the people walking on the stairway would quickly |
| brighten them up. | | | | develop burning eyes and possible nausea. In order to |
| Generally the proper method in those days was to mix | | | | place the chemical into the proper perspective I would |
| a small amount of bleach with a bucket of hot water. It | | | | like to state that Chloramines is considered a war gas. |
| must have worked all right as it was used by just | | | | That's right it is the same type of gas from World War |
| about every housewife in America. Even today in | | | | I which caused severe chemical burns, temporary |
| certain areas of the world bleach can often be the | | | | blindness, conjunctivitis, bleeding and blistering from |
| difference in good drinking sources and disease ridden | | | | within the persons respiratory system, and occasionally |
| water. | | | | in some cases cancer. |
| All aspects of bleach are not happy results however. If | | | | If you still think the combination is not dangerous |
| you suffer from allergies or have asthma, bleach can | | | | consider this. A young college student put Purple |
| be one of your most deadly foes. Once the bleach | | | | Lightning Tile Cleaner and Clorox together in a bucket. |
| releases its deadly gas it can cause your lungs to | | | | Within moments the student was so sick that she |
| quickly stop functioning. | | | | passed out and had to have poison control respond. |
| It is not uncommon for your usual household bleach to | | | | The proper response for the student was that the |
| combine with other cleaning supplies and produce | | | | emergency personnel had to immediately remove her |
| some very dangerous combinations. This procedure is | | | | from the room, remove and launder her clothing while |
| a very grave mistake as you should never mix various | | | | decontaminating her completely. It took at least 7 hours |
| types of cleaning products together as the interaction | | | | before she regained control of her senses. |
| can and will quickly form noxious fumes. | | | | As an added note here, I would like you to known that |
| Mixed with ammonia, bleach produces Chlorine gas | | | | when bleach is mixed with any sort of organic matter |
| which as you will recall is a very toxic substance that | | | | it produces a chloroform type product. Inhaling these |
| was used as a weapon in World War I. Unfortunately | | | | chloroform vapors will depress the nervous system |
| human urine also contains some amounts of ammonia. | | | | causing fatigue, dizziness, and eventually |
| So when you go to the bathroom in a toilet full of | | | | unconsciousness. Any prolonged exposure will harm |
| bleach you are endangering your life. The urea from | | | | several organs of your body such as your liver, the |
| the urine will quickly degrade under microbial actions | | | | kidneys, and could burn your skin. |
| and start to form ammonia. The resulting odor is not | | | | Not only is it dangerous when mixed with ammonia but |
| only nasty smelling but highly toxic. It is the production | | | | when combined with certain soaps it could possibly |
| of hydrazine from mixing these two cleaners together | | | | form another war chemical known as Mustard gas. |
| that produces this danger. | | | | You may be asking yourself, "but what can I do, I have |
| 2NH3(aq) + OCl-(aq) ---> N2H4(aq) + Cl-(aq) + H20(l) | | | | to clean." No problem in that respect. Noting how |
| Chemically Chlorine gas is Cl2 and the danger | | | | dangerous it is to use bleach for cleaning perhaps an |
| presented is a derivative known as chloramines gas | | | | alternative would be to clean your toilet by using borax. |
| which is NH 2Cl. If you accumulate enough of the ions | | | | It actually does a much better cleaning job without the |
| and they become mixed with other substances you | | | | danger of any sort of toxic fumes. In addition for any |
| could create a form of poisonous gas. This gas as | | | | kind of light cleaning you may wish to try the formula |
| well as other hydrochlorides can in the proper | | | | below. |
| equilibrium become a bit unstable. As an example | | | | Ingredients |
| when NCl 3 is exposed to sunlight it will explode. | | | | 12 cups of water |
| Chlorine gas being very toxic to breath in causes | | | | 1/4 cup of lemon juice |
| seriously damage to the human nasal passages and if | | | | 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide |
| taken into your lungs in vast doses it will cause | | | | Take all the ingredients and mix them together. You |
| damage to brain cells. The combination of chemicals is | | | | can add two cups of this compound to your wash |
| extremely flammable as well. All this concern is from | | | | load or put some in a spray bottle to use as a local |
| the bleach breaking down into chlorate. Chlorate has | | | | household cleaner. There it is folks. No noxious fumes, |
| for many years been considered a powerful oxidizer | | | | no nasty burns and above all it's safe. |
| and therefore could easily be employed to create | | | | |