ThatsLife
  • WIN
  • News
  • Real Life
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Pets
  • Your Stars
  • Puzzles
  • Podcasts
  • Video
ThatsLife
  • WIN
  • News
  • Real Life
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Pets
  • Your Stars
  • Puzzles
  • Podcasts
  • Video
Subscribe
  1. Home
  2. Lifestyle

Woman poisoned by lethal floor cleaner combination

Do you mix cleaning products when you mop? - by Starts at 60 Writers
  • 10 Aug 2017
Woman poisoned by lethal floor cleaner combination

A simple household chore has almost turned deadly for a British woman who was taken to hospital after accidentally poisoning herself with a lethal combination of cleaning products.

Charley Howson, from Owlthorpe in Northern England, was taken to hospital last week with chlorine poisoning after mopping her kitchen floor with a combination of bleach, Dettol and concentrated disinfectant, Zoflora.

The English mother-of-three said she usually only uses one cleaning product, but decided to combine the three with hot water for a more thorough clean.

After only minutes, she began to feel excruciating pain in her chest.

“The pain got worse and worse, I thought I was having a heart attack,” Howson, who suffers from the muscle-wasting condition, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease said, reports Yahoo News.

“I’ve had a collapsed lung before, and it felt a bit like that.”

Charley Howson

Howson’s 15-year-old son found her on the kitchen floor and quickly called for an ambulance.

Doctors at the Northern General Hospital say the combination created chlorine gas, which is can be deadly.

“The doctor asked if I had been cleaning, because the paramedics mentioned a strong smell of bleach,” Howson said.

“He said mixing those chemicals with the hot water had given me chlorine gas poisoning.

“I was stunned, I couldn’t believe it. He said that it happens far more than you’d think.”

Many cleaning products have clear instructions on the labels warning customers against combining with other cleaning agents.

Chlorine gas can be created by mixing chlorine bleach with acidic washing agents such as acetic, nitric and phosphoric acid.

Symptoms of chlorine gas poisoning usually include difficulty breathing, coughing, nose irritation, throat irritation and eventually vomiting or headache.

This article first published on Starts at 60.

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe Now
Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe Now
Subscribe to That's Life!

Recommended to you

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis
Watch 0:37

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis

{headline}

{headline}

The photo that changed my life

The photo that changed my life

Bushfire survivor: 'I healed myself with exercise'

Bushfire survivor: 'I healed myself with exercise'

10-year-old runs a marathon in his house!

10-year-old runs a marathon in his house!

Unlikely friendship: My best mate's an alpaca!

Unlikely friendship: My best mate's an alpaca!

{headline}

{headline}

House Rules’ Carolyn Burns-McCrave’s top tips on preparing the family for renos!

House Rules’ Carolyn Burns-McCrave’s top tips on preparing the family for renos!

Learning to live in isolation!

Learning to live in isolation!

6 tips for working from home

6 tips for working from home

{headline}

{headline}

Pantry hacks saved this mum $25,000!

Pantry hacks saved this mum $25,000!

Meet the new House Rules teams!

Meet the new House Rules teams!

Bride slammed for giving guests 'ridiculous' ultimatum ahead of wedding

Bride slammed for giving guests 'ridiculous' ultimatum ahead of wedding

The secret Kmart CODE that will blow your mind!

The secret Kmart CODE that will blow your mind!

How to get a good sleep on a flight

How to get a good sleep on a flight

'My mum's older than my GRAN!'

'My mum's older than my GRAN!'

Mum's worst nightmare: 'My son's lifeless body was floating in the water'

Mum's worst nightmare: 'My son's lifeless body was floating in the water'

ThatsLife
  • Gold Club
  • Online Entry FAQ
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Competitions
  • Privacy Policy
ThatsLife Magazine Subscribe
  • Gold Club
  • Online Entry FAQ
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Competitions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • New Idea
  • Who
  • Girlfriend
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • BHG Shop
  • marie claire
  • Beauty Crew
  • New Idea food
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • Home Beautiful
  • All Recipes
  • 7plus
  • 7News
  • Sunrise
  • Starts at 60
  • The West Australian
  • Perth Now
  • 7mate
  • 7Sport
  • Hard to Find
© 2022 Are Media PTY LTD
All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts.If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Get more from

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Shop This Offer
Subscribe to That's Life!