Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/zo64Jd-qW-s   When you clean your bathroom with chlorine products, you may be gassing yourself and your pets.  Chlorine vapors combine with citrus ingredients in household products under fluorescent lighting to form toxic airborne particles.   Studies by University of Toronto chemists show that the sodium hypochlorite in chlorine bleaches emits the strong oxidants hypochlorous acid and chlorine in dangerously high concentrations indoors.  If fluorescent lighting or sunlight is present, these chlorine gases combine with the limonene that imparts a citrus odor to cleaning products and air fresheners to produce toxic airborne particles.    If you use chlorine bleach, for safety’ sake ventilate the bathroom well, avoid having lemony products around, and avoid fluorescent and natural lighting.   Chen Wang, Douglas B. Collins, Jonathan P.D. Abbatt. Indoor Illumination of Terpenes and Bleach Emissions Leads to Particle Formation and Growth. Environmental Science & Technology, 2019; DOI