Chlorine Gas

Last week the CDC published a paper on a chlorine gas release.  It was published  in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)  and outlined a tragic accident.  An employee at a poultry processing plant poured sodium hypochlorite into a drum that contained a small amount of an acidic solution.  A chemical reaction ensued resulting in the creation of a green-yellow cloud of chlorine gas.  The cloud was first felt in the small room where the drum was stored but eventually leaked into the plant.  195 employees sought medical help, 152 were hospitalized (five to intensive care) and three developed a permanent form of asthma called, "reactive airways dysfunction syndrome".  Even sadder than the harsh health consequences is that this entire episode could have been avoided.  The employee knew not to mix the two chemicals.  The drum was labeled with a warning not to mix the chemicals.  But the drum was in the wrong place and the employee could not read the English warning label. 

The report does not address the concentrations of the two solutions.  They are only described as sodium hypochlorite and an acidic solution.  I suspect the concentrations were significant, but each of us has those chemicals in our home.  We all have a bottle of bleach (sodium hypochlorite).  We have a bathroom/toilet/kitchen/tile cleaner (acidic) also.   How often do you read the labels?  Did you know mixing them can cause a chemical reaction?  Everyday people mix the two, produce chlorine gas and have an exposure. Those with a asthma are at very high risk for a severe and even life threatening reaction. 

This case is an extreme example of what can happen in your home.  Hazards than can accidentally land you, your family or your friends in the hospital simply by mixing them.  Remember, keep all products in the original containers and then read, and head, labels.