Never mix Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) with Quaternary ammonium compounds
Toxic gas
Chlorine and other toxic gases are released. Chlorine is an immediately dangerous respiratory irritant: low levels irritate the eyes, nose and throat and cause coughing and breathing problems, and high levels cause severe breathing difficulty and lung damage. Leave the area for fresh air at once and seek medical advice. Feeling better shortly afterwards is not an all-clear — the regulator recommends medical observation for 24 to 48 hours, because fluid on the lungs can be delayed.
Precautions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Ventilate the area
- Rinse thoroughly afterwards
- Keep away from children and pets
- Consider professional help
How this happens
The regulator groups quaternary ammonium salts with ammonium hydroxide and ammonium chloride as AMMONIA COMPOUNDS, and states that sodium hypochlorite may react violently or explosively with them to release chlorine and other toxic gases. The difficulty here is recognition. A reader who knows not to mix bleach with ammonia is looking for a smell and a warning label, and a quat-based disinfectant spray or wipe offers neither: it does not smell of ammonia, is not sold as an ammonia product, and names it only in the ingredients.
If it has already happened
Get everyone into fresh air straight away, and do not go back inside to open windows. Anyone with breathing difficulty, chest pain, persistent coughing, or a chemical splash to the eyes needs medical attention — treat it as an emergency and call your local emergency number. In the United Kingdom, use NHS 111 or 999 as appropriate; clinicians can consult the National Poisons Information Service.
The substances involved
- Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) — A powerful oxidising bleach and disinfectant. It is also the substance behind the most common serious household chemical accidents, and must never be mixed with anything.
- Quaternary ammonium compounds — A class of cleaning-product active that a regulator lists among the ammonia compounds which release chlorine gas on contact with bleach. That reaction is the fact that matters.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Sodium Hypochlorite
New Jersey Department of Health · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That sodium hypochlorite may react violently or explosively with ammonia compounds, quaternary ammonium salts among them, to release chlorine and other toxic gases. (states this directly)
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Chlorine
New Jersey Department of Health · Government or regulator
Relied on for: The character of chlorine exposure, and that medical observation is recommended for 24 to 48 hours because pulmonary edema may be delayed. (states this directly)