Chlorine gas poisoning
Acute respiratory illness from inhaling chlorine gas beyond safe limits.
Chlorine gas poisoning occurs when the chemical touches moist tissues like the eyes, throat, and lungs, creating an acid that can hurt those tissues.[1] There is no known cure for chlorine exposure, and treatment involves removing chlorine from the body and providing supportive medical care.[1] The CDC states that most people will smell the chemical or feel irritation that tells them they are exposed to chlorine.[1]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Emergency medicine
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Occupational exposures constitute the highest risk of toxicity, and common domestic exposures result from mixing chlorine bleach with acidic washing agents.[2] The CDC notes that chlorine is a yellow-green gas under normal conditions that smells like bleach and is turned into a liquid for storage and transport.[1] When liquid chlorine is released, it quickly turns into a gas that stays close to the ground and spreads quickly.[1] Because chlorine gas is heavier than air, it will sink to lower areas and increase the risk of exposure there.[1]
In 2014, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported about 6,000 exposures to chlorine gas in the US in 2013.[3] Chlorine gas exposure can happen when table water is chlorinated.[2] A freight train derailment in South Carolina during 2005 caused the release of roughly 11,500 US gallons of chlorine.[4] That accident resulted in nine fatalities and at least 529 individuals who required medical attention.[5]
What the research sources say
The CDC Basic Facts page states that some people with asthma or other lung diseases may be more sensitive to breathing chlorine than others.[1] According to the CDC, symptoms of exposure to higher levels of chlorine include blurred vision, chest tightness, breathing problems, and respiratory failure.[1] The CDC notes that exposure to chlorine can lead to reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS), which is asthma caused by chemicals.[1] The CDC advises that if the chlorine release was indoors, people should get out of the building.[1]
The CDC states that showering is the best method for removing chlorine from your body.[1] The CDC also states that if someone has swallowed chlorine, do not force vomiting.[1]
References
- CDC Basic Facts Page last reviewed April 10, 2013. Page last updated April 10, 2013. facts only, no text reused. emergency.cdc.gov
- Wikipedia, "Chlorine gas poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: White CW, Martin JG, "Chlorine gas inhalation: human clinical evidence of toxicity and experience in animal models", Proc Am Thorac Soc, Jul 2010, p. 257–63; Gerald F O'Malley, GF et al. Chlorine Toxicity Medscape Drugs & Diseases, Ed. Dembek, ZF. Updated: Dec 11, 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chlorine gas poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mowry JB, Spyker DA, Brooks DE, McMillan N, Schauben JL, "2014 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS): 32nd Annual Report", Clin Toxicol (Phila), 2015, p. ; Mowry JB, "Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS): 31st Annual Report", Clin Toxicol, Dec 2014, p. 1032–283 [1225] (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chlorine gas poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Collision of Union Pacific Railroad train MHOTU-23 with BNSF Railway Company train MEAP-TUL-126-D with subsequent derailment and hazardous materials release, Macdona, Texas, June 28, 2004", United States National Transp (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chlorine gas poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: CDC Public Health Consequences from Hazardous Substances Acutely Released During Rail Transit --- South Carolina, 2005; Selected States, 1999--2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Chlorine gas poisoning (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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