Woman hospitalised after making scary mistake while cleaning bathroom
A woman has shared a terrifying warning about the proper use of cleaning products after her daughter was hospitalised when accidentally inhaling bleach while cleaning the bathroom.
Avery Watson, from the US state of Texas, used bleach to clean her family's bathroom. However she reportedly forgot to open a window and began struggling to breathe due to a reaction caused from inhaling the chemical.
"Caution with cleaning products, keep room ventilated, and windows and doors open," Avery's mother, Jana Watson, wrote along with images and videos of her daughter's condition, sharing the warning in a TikTok video.
Avery reported having difficulty breathing
Ms Watson said she had asked her kids to help clean, prompting her daughter to clean the bathroom using bleach.
About 30 minutes later Avery called her mother at work saying she was having difficulty breathing and that her feet were burning.
Her father took her to the emergency department at the nearest hospital where her breathing was steadily getting worse and it was becoming more painful.
Doctors forced to intubate daughter
Avery was given nebulised epinephrine — a medication given to help clear airways— at the hospital, as well as IV steroids and reported feeling nauseous, having a racing heart rate and feeling anxious.
"[Avery] started coughing, then had difficulty breathing with stridor (noisy breathing) and laryngospasms," Ms Watson recalled in the Facebook post, adding her daughter said it hurt too much to breathe in and out.
"The X-ray showed a moderate amount of swelling and she continued to have trouble breathing after several different medications were administered," Ms Watson said, saying it was then the doctors were forced to intubate.
Avery was transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit in a children's hospital, with her mum saying she was "fighting" the ventilation the whole time.
Thankfully the medication started working and she was extubated 16 hours later, and released from the hospital 48 hours after she was admitted.
"Due to the kid's lack of deep cleaning, I have failed at teaching Avery to keep a room ventilated while using bleach products," the mum wrote, reminding people to be careful.
If not used properly bleach can create a toxic gas
Bleach is used as a disinfectant to kill bacteria and mould that releases chlorine gas that can be harmful to human health. If inhaled, it can cause chlorine poisoning causing difficulty breathing and burning of the skin.
Ashley Iredale from Choice Australia said there are two types of bleaches found in the home — chlorine bleach, and oxygenated bleach, and they should always be used carefully and as per the instructions.
"When working with chlorine bleach it's very important to ensure adequate ventilation — as TikTok has established for us, the fumes can be quite dangerous," he explained to Yahoo News Australia.
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Mr Iredale said as well as ventilation, you should wear gloves and eye protection when using bleach and warns to never mix with other cleaning chemicals because bleach is highly reactive and can create toxic gases.
"So yes, bleach has a definite place in your cleaning regiment, but it demands respect," he said.
"Always follow the instructions on the bottle, use gloves, ensure adequate ventilation, never, ever mix it with other cleaning agents, and I can't stress this enough, store it well out of reach of young children."
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