What do I do if I breathed in toxic fumes?
My husband was cleaning a bath tub and mixed CLR with Clorox. It apparently created a toxic fume because he started coughing, his chest started burning and he began to feel dizzy. He decided to wait it out to see if he would feel better and for the most part he does but he now has a rash on his sides, chest and some of his back. We can’t find any information about what to do online and we don’t know if this is normal or should we go to the doctor? Any insight would be helpful, because we haven’t a clue! Thank you.
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42 Answers
Fresh air and a shower. Stat!
GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM!
Are you seriously going to sit and wait when you think you made something toxic?
Sit and wait until your next question is “what happens after death?”
Call your local poison control. Flush with cold water.
Okay let me clarify..he did this two days ago and his rash is just coming up. It’s not like it came up immediately..so what do ya’ll think now?
And are ya’ll saying just because he made something toxic? or the fact that he has a rash?
stop wasting your time online and go to a friggin doctor…....
And, be prepared to be yelled at sooooo bad by emerg. staff for waiting!
Okay..so we are scared now. We have a baby asleep in the crib that I guess we’re gonna wake up to go to the hospital, do any of ya’ll have any experience with this? Because we heard that if the symptoms don’t persist than he was fine, the rash could also be due to the cold weather and heat inside..so someone elaborate please.
We couldn’t find any information on “what to do” if this happened online, that’s why we came here and not finding anything about what to do made us think it wasn’t that bad. so this was a total shock to us.
If you have health insurance and your provider has a nurse advice line call that.
That’s the thing @kevbo, we don’t have health insurance..that’s why we was going to try and wait it out before forking out a lot of money on something that might not be that bad. We used to have ask-a-nurse around here but they did away with that, and hospitals can’t give out any info. over the phone anymore. Thank you though.
In Canada… FREE HEALTH CARE! WHOO!
Tell us how it went.
Yes I think the “What happens after death?” might be a good follow up question.
This is definitely something that should be evaluated by a doctor. The reaction of sodium hypochlorite (clorox bleach) with the acids in CLR cleaner likely led to production of chlorine gas (which is very toxic to mucous membranes) and or the aerosolization of the sodium hypocholorite leading to the skin reaction (dermatitis). Obviously, there is no way for me (or anyone here) to know the severity of the skin damage (from mild dermatitis to a serious burn), so an evaluation by a doctor is indicated. If his breathing is normal, and the skin doesn’t look terribly burned, he probably can wait till morning, but if you are really concerned, go now.
For future reference, the best management for these types of things is to wash the affected areas thoroughly for 20 minutes or more and to exit the area. Also, never mix bleach with ammonia (or many chemicals for which you don’t know their reactivity).
FYI, I’m a doctor.
Thank you @shilolo. His breathing is normal, but he did just inform me that his breathing feels “heavy” and the rash does burn him. I guess we’re about to talk about it and figure out if we should go now or in the morning. Thank you again!
If it happened two days ago and he’s still breathing and his skin isn’t sloughing off, then I’d chalk it up to experience (and keep him away from cleaning products, which probably won’t be too difficult), and make sure that he continues to breathe fresh air.
@Erica_Rachelle I understand from reading the above the major issue of (lack of) health insurance. However, I would urge you to consider going sooner rather than later. You’re obviously and rightfully concerned, and if there is a serious problem brewing, the sooner it is evaluated and treated, the better. Many people without health insurance are faced with similar decisions, but frequently they arrive to be seen late in the course of their problem, which makes it much more difficult and expensive to treat than if they had come earlier on.
Yet another reason @shilolo is the shit. :D
Thank you @CyanoticWasp and @shilolo ..two very different responses and I’m still in between the two. He’s wanting to wait for fear of not making it into work in the morning and I’m wanting him to go now. UGH. I TOLD him he should have went that night!
@shilolo, in a situation like this, would calling poison control to find out which emergency room to go to be of benefit?
We just called our hospital and she said try giving him some Benadryl, but for some reason I feel like she just thinks it some kind of allergic reaction.
@Erica_Rachelle, call poison control. There are warnings on the bottles not to mix things. There could be all sorts of damage going on inside your husband—that’s what’s coming out through the rash on your skin.
Did your baby breathe any of the fumes?
Is it a good thing or bad thing to be coming out through the rash? No, he was working at another house with his friend..thank God. He’s on the phone with his friend now and he said he has a rash on his chest too.
@Erica_Rachelle Poison control is a great idea that @PandoraBoxx has given you. It is a free service, and open 24 hours. Find the number for the local poison control office and call them ASAP.
Look we can’t do anything for you. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!.
sometimes I think people would tweet while being murdered
You’re going to need to call Poison Control to find out which emergency room to go to. Not all emergency rooms will be equipped to handle chemical accidents in the same manner.
We called poison control and they also urged him to go to the ER immediately. He’s there now..thanks for the advice everyone.
Erica, hospitals will treat emergency cases with or without payment. Code of ethics and whatnot. It’s the ambulance that’ll cost you.
He breathed toxic gas. Unless you are an expert on the long-term effects of various toxic gases on human physiology, you need to see that he gets medical attention. You cannot know whether or not what he breathed hasn’t already done irreparable harm to his lungs. Anyone saying that your husband doesn’t need medical attention is being irresponsible and advising you to disregard your husband’s health. It is winter time. He breathed toxic fumes into his lungs. He may now be in such a position that he gets “walking” pneumonia and dies as a complication of breathing those fumes. He wouldn’t know what hit him until it was too late. Remember Jim Henson? The wealthy guy who created the Muppets and The Jim Henson Company? Remember what killed him? People die from things like this all the time. Take him to the doctor and be certain that you’ve done the right thing.
@Nullo That simply isn’t true. They have to see you, yes, but they are under no obligation to do it for free. You will get a bill for services, just like any other service. The rules are that they cannot turn people away for lack of insurance, but that’s it.
@FlipFlap While you are right that he needed medical treatment, inhalation injuries do not cause “walking pneumonia”. That is caused by certain bacterial infections that are not related to inhalation injuries. Also, Jim Henson didn’t die of pneumonia, but rather streptococcal toxic shock, a disease that can happen to anyone.
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@shilolo
Is true enough. My aunt broke her leg once, and had no insurance. Eventually she was sent to the county hospital but in the end she didn’t have to pay for the work.
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