Every workplace has some kind of chemical that employees will come into contact with. Whether it’s window cleaner, an aerosol spray or an acid, the reality is that all of these chemicals have to be treated with caution.
While you may not think of your home cleaning supplies as being particularly dangerous, they can cause problems in some cases. For example, mixing bleach with ammonia creates a toxic gas. Someone who doesn’t know better may mix them together to clean but later end up very ill from the fumes.
What are some dangerous chemical mixtures to avoid?
Another common set of products is bleach and vinegar. Some people love cleaning with bleach, and others turn to vinegar for a natural cleaning remedy. Mixed together, these two create chlorine gas, which can cause wheezing, coughing, watery eyes and burning.
Bleach and rubbing alcohol are dangerous together as well. Perhaps you marked on your desk with a permanent marker and want to try to get it out with alcohol. If that doesn’t work, you might add bleach to the mix. That’s extremely dangerous because it creates chloroform. It may not be enough to make you pass out, but the mixture is toxic and irritating to the body.
To put it plainly, if you have to work with chemicals on the job, don’t mix them unless you’re sure it’s safe to do so. You’ll avoid creating toxic gases and be able to work in a safer environment. If you do end up suffering from an illness or injury due to mixing chemicals you didn’t know were dangerous together, you may be able to seek workers’ compensation.
