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Could
Danger Be Lurking Under Your Kitchen Cabinets?
Rescue
workers across America respond to thousands of calls involving
chemicals every year. Most of them involve accidents at
industrial
businesses, but a growing number of incidents are happening in
people’s
homes and often with common household cleaners just like you’d
find
under the kitchen sink.
“The
typical American home contains many toxic, flammable, corrosive
or chemically reactive household products that when stored or
used
incorrectly can cause serious injury or even death. You wouldn’t
dream
of working with chemicals on the job or in the classroom without
first
taking some safety precautions; but when it comes to chemicals
in the
home, people seem to forget they are dangerous,” says Perri
Ruckart,
an epidemiologist with the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease
Registry (ATSDR), the principal federal public health agency
involved
with hazardous waste issues.
Ruckart’s
analysis of data collected by the Hazardous Substances
Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) System, set up by ATSDR to
track incidents involving chemical spills, indicates the
unintentional
release and misuse of common household products in the home has
become a real problem. Between 1997 and 2001, the number of
incidents in the home more than quadrupled.
During
1996-2001, the HSEES recorded 659 events that resulted in 352
injures and nine deaths in 17 states: New York, Rhode Island,
North
Carolina, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Iowa,
Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Colorado, Oregon, Washington state, Louisiana, New
Hampshire,
New Jersey, and Utah. Dizziness and other central nervous system
symptoms
were the most frequently experienced adverse health effects.
Ruckart
says accidents involving household chemicals are preventable if
people would just take the time to stop, think and put safety
first. She
stresses that consumers need to read the directions on the
containers
before they start working. “If you use bleach that has
chlorine in it to
clean the toilet, make sure you wash it out thoroughly before
using another cleaner containing ammonia. If the two chemicals
mix, it could cause a toxic cloud that may cause burning of the
eyes, breathing problems, or unconsciousness.”
Proper
ventilation is also important when using household chemicals.
Ruckart points out some of them, particularly farm or garden bug
sprays,
will say right on the can they are not intended for indoor use,
but people
will ignore the warning and use them inside anyway. This could
cause
headaches, skin or eye irritation, breathing problems, seizures,
and possibly
death. “As you can see, using common household products
incorrectly can
have serious consequences,” says Ruckart. Other serious
problems may
result from failing to properly label household cleaning
products that are
transferred into other containers, and storing incompatible
chemicals in
close proximity to each other. Both mistakes could have fatal
consequences.
Another
mistake in the home that Ruckart’s work highlights is failing
to
regularly check appliances that emit carbon monoxide. Even a
small leak
can emit enough fumes to render someone unconscious or even
cause death.
Carbon monoxide can enter the home through any fuel-burning
appliance,
furnace, water heater, fireplace, woodstove or space heater, and
from poorly
maintained or blocked vent connections in chimneys. Exposure to
carbon
monoxide can also happen when a person is sitting in a running
vehicle in
the garage.
[Courtesy
of ARA Content]
Preventing
Chemical Emergencies in the Home
[Tips from the Federal Emergency Management Agency]
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Store household chemicals according to the instructions
on the label. Non-food products should be stored tightly
closed in their original container so you can always
identify the contents of each container and how to properly
use the product.
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Avoid mixing common household chemical products. Some
combinations of these products, such as ammonia and chlorine
bleach, can create toxic gases.
-
Always read the directions before using a new product. To
avoid inhaling dangerous vapors, do not use some products in
a small, confined space. Other products should not be used
without gloves and eye protection to help prevent the
chemical from touching your body.
-
Read instructions on how to dispose of chemicals
properly. Improper disposal can result in harm to yourself
or members of your family, accidental contamination of the
local water supply, or harm to other people. It is also
important to dispose of products properly to preserve the
environment and protect wildlife. Plus, some products can be
recycled, which helps protect the environment. If you have
questions about how to properly dispose of a chemical, call
your local environmental or recycling agency.
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If you should spill a chemical, clean it up immediately
with rags, being careful to protect your eyes and skin.
Allow the fumes in the rags to evaporate outdoors in a safe
place, then dispose of them by wrapping them in a newspaper
and placing them in a sealed plastic bag. Dispose of these
materials with your trash.
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Buy only as much of a chemical as you think you will use.
If you have product left over, try to give it to someone who
will use it. Storing hazardous chemicals increases risk to
chemical emergencies.
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Post the number of the nearest poison control center by
all telephones. In an emergency situation you may not have
time to look up critical phone numbers.
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First Aid & Safety
