Cardiac death after cleaning The woman dies as a result of heavy chemical poisoning by cleaning agents

Spaniard cleans the kitchen for two hours: death from ammonia intoxication

A Spaniard who scrubbed her kitchen for two hours apparently died of poisoning by ammonia. Health experts now point out the dangers of chemical cleaning agents. If ammonia-containing products are used for cleaning, pauses should always be made. In addition, the rooms must be well ventilated.

Poisoning by ammonia-containing cleaning agents

Hardly anyone likes to clean. Those who push themselves before cleaning, apparently lives healthier: Last year, a study provided by the University of Brussels evidence that cleaning should be a health hazard for men. And Norwegian scientists reported a few months ago that cleaning can cause similar lung damage as smoking. How dangerous some household cleaners can be is also shown by a recent case from Spain. There, a woman in house cleaning poisoned by ammonia-containing cleaning products.

In Spain, a woman died who had cleaned her flat for two hours. The 30-year-old has apparently been poisoned by ammonia-containing detergents. (Image: M. Schuppich / fotolia.com)

Woman suffered cardiac arrest after cleaning

According to media reports, a 30-year-old woman from Madrid died of poisoning after she had scrubbed her kitchen for two hours.

According to the British newspaper "Daily Mail", the Spaniard had called from her house on Monday at 3:00 pm the emergency service, saying that she had cleaned two hours and then fainted.

The ambulance paramedics found that the woman had a cardiac arrest. had and tried to revive her for 30 minutes. But in vain: the 30-year-old died.

Ventilate rooms well

"Everything points to poisoning by inhaling ammonia," said a spokesman for the Agency of Security and Emergencies of Madrid. Ammonia is commonly found in glass cleaners, oven and toilet cleaners.

As the newspaper article states, in higher concentrations, the substance may affect a person's eyes, nose, and throat and, in extreme cases, cause respiratory failure, heart failure, and brain damage.

Deaths from contact with household cleaning products are rare. For everyday cleaners, the chemical is diluted, but industrial products have a much higher concentration.

Dr. However, Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a medical toxicologist at the National Poison Control Center, pointed out that all cleansers are harmful and anyone who does not take breaks may have severe symptoms.

"The problem is that the symptoms are not always so bad that people can continue to clean, but this prolonged exposure irritates the lungs," Dr. Johnson-Arbor.

"There are things you can do to minimize the impact, such as opening a window." However, cleaning is often done in places without good ventilation or in small rooms like a bathroom, which complicates things.

Therefore, you should always make the breaks and make sure that the room is ventilated if possible.

Do not mix ammonia products with bleach

In addition, it is important not to mix ammonia products with bleach, as this combination can release very toxic chlorine gas.

"Sometimes people use ammonia to clean their toilet bowl for a streak-free shine and use bleach to make it look cleaner. This is very dangerous, nobody should ever do that. "

In people with underlying diseases such as asthma, the risk of poisoning is even higher.

According to Dr. For Johnson-Arbor, even organic alternatives are not necessarily safe: "The products that do not contain ammonia or bleach are likely to contain other chemicals to achieve the same effect." So they could be toxic as well. (Ad)