Bleach and Alcohol Make Chloroform – Why You Shouldn’t Mix Disinfectants.
Disinfectants are important for preventing the spread of diseases like coronavirus, but don’t mix them! Mixing bleach and alcohol forms chloroform, a sedative powerful enough to make you pass out or potentially die. Actually, you should avoid mixing bleach with any disinfectant or cleaner to avoid producing toxic fumes.
Bleach and Alcohol Chemical Reaction The key ingredient in household bleach is sodium hypochlorite. Sodium hypochlorite reacts with ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and other types of alcohol to make chloroform (CHCl3), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and other compounds, such as dichloroacetate or chloroacetone. Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol occur in many disinfectants, including hand sanitizer.
Some people may think mixing bleach and hand sanitizer boost disinfecting power, but chemicals in mixtures often react with one another to yield products with undesirable properties. Usually, the mixture forms unintentionally, like from cleaning up an alcohol spill with bleach or by mixing cleaners. Bleach, in particular, is highly reactive and shouldn’t be combined with other products.
Chloroform Risks Chloroform is a dangerous chemical. It’s readily absorbed into the body through skin or by inhalation or ingestion. Chloroform irritates skin, eyes, and the respiratory system. It damages the eyes, lungs, nervous system, skin, liver, and kidneys, and may cause cancer. However, the immediate risk is that it acts as powerful anesthetic that can cause unconsciousness or “sudden sniffer’s death,” a fatal cardiac arrythmia.
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Disinfectants are important for preventing the spread of diseases like coronavirus, but don’t mix them! Mixing bleach and alcohol forms chloroform, a sedative powerful enough to make you pass out or potentially die. Actually, you should avoid mixing bleach with any disinfectant or cleaner to avoid producing toxic fumes.
Bleach and Alcohol Chemical Reaction
The key ingredient in household bleach is sodium hypochlorite. Sodium hypochlorite reacts with ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and other types of alcohol to make chloroform (CHCl3), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and other compounds, such as dichloroacetate or chloroacetone. Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol occur in many disinfectants, including hand sanitizer.
Some people may think mixing bleach and hand sanitizer boost disinfecting power, but chemicals in mixtures often react with one another to yield products with undesirable properties. Usually, the mixture forms unintentionally, like from cleaning up an alcohol spill with bleach or by mixing cleaners. Bleach, in particular, is highly reactive and shouldn’t be combined with other products.
Chloroform Risks
Chloroform is a dangerous chemical. It’s readily absorbed into the body through skin or by inhalation or ingestion. Chloroform irritates skin, eyes, and the respiratory system. It damages the eyes, lungs, nervous system, skin, liver, and kidneys, and may cause cancer. However, the immediate risk is that it acts as powerful anesthetic that can cause unconsciousness or “sudden sniffer’s death,” a fatal cardiac arrythmia.
https://sciencenotes.org/bleach-and-alcohol-make-chloroform-why-you-shouldnt-mix-disinfectants/