Two inmates in a Pennsylvania prison died after inhaling toxic fumes after mixing cleaning products while working on a maintenance crew, the Associated Press (AP) reported March 25. In 2003, six people died from accidental exposure to household cleaning products, the AP reported. Officials don't know which mixture of chemicals killed the prisoners, but any combination of another chemical with bleach can be especially hazardous. Safety rules include never mixing cleaning products, washing hands carefully after using a product, and reading warning labels and instructions.

By Mary Pickett, M.D.
Harvard Medical School

What Is the Doctor's Reaction?

Spring is here, and you may be ready to take on spring cleaning. Be aware of dangers that can come from mixing of household cleaners and chemicals.

If you use any household bleach and an acid or ammonia-based cleaner simultaneously, these chemicals can interact together to create a poisonous gas. The gas in question (either chlorine gas or chloramine gas, depending upon your chemical mixture) can cause lung irritation, asthma and burning of your throat and eyes. These poisonings are common -- one regional poison control center reported more than 200 reported cases of poisonous gas exposure due to household cleaners in a single year.

Even without mixing, strong chemical cleaners (particularly ammonia-based cleaners) can cause lung irritation, and people with asthma may have difficulty using these products.

What Changes Can I Make Now?

Without realizing it, you may be mixing cleaners by using them one at a time in the same clogged drain, simultaneously in a toilet bowl, on the same surface without permitting vapors to dry first, or using the same rag to apply two cleaners.

Be extremely careful when you use strong household cleaners and other chemicals, so that you never create a mixture that could release chlorine or chloramine gas:

• Never mix bleach with ammonia-based cleaners.
• Never mix bleach with toilet bowl cleaners.
• Never mix bleach with drain openers.
• Never mix bleach with rust removers or metal cleaners.
• Never launder cleaning rags that were used with ammonia-based cleaners in your washing machine.
• Never mix chemicals for a pool indoors.

Remember these words of wisdom: "The solution to pollution is dilution." Water is a terrific cleaner, and it is a safe one. Only use chemicals for cleaning when you truly need them.

When you clean, always take some good basic precautions:

• Keep cleaning products out of reach of children.
• Open your windows to permit good ventilation.
• If you are cleaning in a poorly ventilated space (such as a shower), minimize your chemical cleaners and limit the time that you spend in the area without a break.
• Get rid of all strong household chemicals at designated household waste drop-off facilities, where they can be disposed of safely.
• Avoid wearing contact lenses when you are working with irritant chemicals, and always wear gloves.
• Respect label warnings on any cleaning product.
• Never smoke while you are using cleaners, varnishes, paints or solvents. Many of these products produce fumes that are flammable.

What Can I Expect Looking to the Future?

Last year the Annals of Internal Medicine published results of a study that compared the frequency of infection symptoms in more than 100 households where housekeepers were assigned to use antibacterial cleaners, hand-soaps and laundry detergents for a total of 48 weeks, compared with an equal number of households that were assigned to use cleaners that were non-toxic to bacteria. This study demonstrated that there was no reduction in infection symptoms, regardless of the cleaners that were used.

We need to come to terms with the dangers that some familiar household cleaners bring upon us. All of us need to be responsible stewards of our environment, whether we are considering our immediate surroundings or our shared planet.

Home cleanliness may give us the illusion of health, but in the end, regular use of bleaches and cleaning acids may be causing us more harm than good. Thank goodness a little bit of dirt doesn't hurt anyone.