Just exactly how much ammonia/bleach do you have to combine for it to be life threatening?

Any amount.. will give off a poisonous gases called chloramines. If combined in a unventilated small space, you could loose consciousness, or at least hack and cough until you get to another room and even then it could form fluid in the lungs giving you chemical pneumonia. Asking ‘how much’ is kind of like asking how long is a piece of string. Different cleaners will have different concentrations in them and it’s NOT just ammonia you should be mixing bleach with so everyone should be careful when using these strong chemical in the home.

Here’s a good guide from the State of NJ of all places… (I guess it’s all those ‘real housewives’ there they need to look out for.)

http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/cehsweb/bleach_fs.pdf

Hot water, natural soap and vinegar should be all one needs. Perhaps some baking soda to scour the scum off the tub.

Household chemicals are inherently very hazardous and many get away with this ORMD designation you will see on the label that allows really potent chemicals to be sold and distributed and then presented as “safe”! Any amount of either ammonia or chlorine on it’s own is potentially very damaging to human tissues and organs and as you intone combining them will create a chemical reaction that at the very least will release noxious gases of which is very hazardous and damaging to the respiratory system if breathed. I challenge everyone to read what is called the MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet for the products in your cabinets

Look at least at the HMIS ratings and that is listed by categories of flammability, health and reactivity a number 1–3 where 1 is least hazardous and 3 is extremely hazardous.

Chlorine here has a health rating of 3 and Ammonia is a major respiratory hazard.

Check out more msds info here

Actually, a quick note @Cruiser, HIMS ratings are actually 0–4. So a 3 is not the most dangerous thing you can have. Granted a 4 in health is just about “will kill you on contact”, so it’s not like 3 is great. But it can be worse. And yes, cleaners are dangerous, but that just means one needs to be educated and work with them safely. I don’t remember ever seeing a concentrated bleach or ammonia solution with “safe” written on it. That would be stupid.

That said, yeah, depends on a lot off factors but in a small space with poor ventilation, say a bathroom perhaps, a very small amount (we’re talking a few milliliters, so maybe an ounce or two) of each could create enough vapor to cause you some serious hacking for some time, and major damage if you don’t stop breathing it in immediately.

@BhacSsylan is right and thankfully I have not seen a 4 rating chemical….nasty!!

My point was in support of the OP where mixing household chemicals “assumed” to be safe is truly a potentially huge problem very few are aware of.

What is Sodium Hydroxide Powder on the HMIS scale? Oh… it’s a 3 in Health and a 2 for Reactivity…. Geez. You should see what just a 50% solution of the stuff does! It’s bad, bad stuff. Forget about dropping small granules anywhere.. it eats and burns about anything.

I’ll tell you what you shouldn’t do.. don’t pour a bunch of bleach in the toilet, leave it to soak overnight to fight stubborn stains, and then completely forget about it when you get up in the morning and have to pee.

Holy toxic fumes is right.. that was quite the wake-up.

@cazzie Why on earth are you messing with that stuff??

@Cruiser I make the best handmade soap in the ‘verse.

@cazzie Very cool! I forgot that SH/lye was used in soap.

Before toying with combining either ammonia and any chlorine bleach OR combining Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner with any chlorine bleach, pause & think. Each combination releases large quantities of pure chlorine gas.

How bad it it? When the gas comes into contact with water, the two combine to produce hydrochloric acid, the principle component of digestive juices.