Mother is poisoned by cocktail of kitchen cleaners as she mops
‘I was stunned, it could have killed me’
A MOTHER almost died from chlorine gas poisoning after accidentally creating a lethal cocktail of chemicals to mop her kitchen floor.
Charley Howson was overcome by the fumes and left in severe pain after mixing several household cleaning products in a bucket.
The 36-year-old put a deadly combination of bleaches and cleaning agents in with hot water to mop the floor in an attempt to get a deeper clean.
But within minutes she started to suffer agonising chest pains as chlorine gas was produced from the mix last Wednesday.
Her son, Corey, 15, heard her screaming in pain and dialled 999. Mrs Howson, a support worker from Sheffield, said: ‘The pain got worse and worse, I thought I was having a heart attack.
‘I’ve had a collapsed lung before, and it felt a bit like that. I told [Corey] not to [call an ambulance], I said I’ll be fine, but I was in agony.
Paramedics found her oxygen levels were dangerously low and she was taken to Northern General Hospital in an ambulance.
The mother- of-three added: ‘I was petrified. I didn’t know what was happening, and just kept thinking about my kids.’
She was put on oxygen at hospital and given a chest X-ray to check if she had suffered a collapsed lung but it came back clear.
She said: ‘The doctor asked if I had been cleaning, because the paramedics mentioned a strong smell of bleach.
‘He said mixing those chemicals with the hot water had given me chlorine gas poisoning. I was stunned, I couldn’t believe it.
‘The doctor said if my son hadn’t phoned for the ambulance when he did that it could have been a lot worse.
‘He’s really mature for his age, and I’m so grateful he didn’t listen to me when I said I was fine.
‘He’s made a joke out of it and calls me the “chlorine gaffe girl” and says I should leave the cleaning to the professionals.
‘But it could have been so much worse. I could not be here. It could have killed me.’
Bleaching agents are made up of chlorine compounds such as sodium hypochlorite which can then release the chlorine element when brought into contact with other chemicals.
The Government advice website warns those cleaning at home not to mix chemicals, adding that two common household cleaners, chlorine bleach and ammonia, come together to form a ‘highly toxic gas’.
They also advise to only use as much product as you need and to put children, pets and their toys in another room for as long as is recommended on product labels.
Windows should be opened to ventilate the area and, if the bottle recommends it, wear gloves, long sleeves and a mask.
Chlorine gas was used in the First World War during the Battle of Ypres, before it was replaced by the more potent mustard gas. The chemical reacts with water in the throat to form hydrochloric acid. Mrs Howson said she had been allowed to return home to Corey and her two daughters, Evie, 9, and 11-week- old Jaymie-Leigh, despite her continuing headache and sore throat.
She is now awaiting follow-up tests to see if her ordeal has caused her any permanent damage.
She said: ‘I just want to warn people. Everything I used were just normal cleaning products that you can get from the supermarket. I didn’t read the small print on the bottles, but no one does really, and I just want everyone to make sure they do when they’re cleaning.’