OT-Chlorine bleach

[roscoepc1]

I don't understand what the big deal about bleach is????? I am a chemist and I can tell you that "exposure to bleach" is not harmful unless you drink it or breathe too much of the vapors from the liquid. Walking on a sidewalk that has been cleaned with it will not hurt your child!!! The smell of bleach in the air is not harmful in any way. It requires direct skin contact or prolonged exposure to concentrated vapors to do any damage. The bleach is sodium hypochlorite mixed with water. Sodium hypochlorite is basically table salt with added oxygen. The added oxygen is the cleaning/ disinfecting agent in bleach. It is not more of a "harmful chemical" than lemon juice and is just as natural.The difference in the two really lies in the amount of water present. Concentrated lemon juice is just as caustic as bleach, and bleach is one of the safest cleaning agents out there that will actually disnifect. You can't get much more natural than salt and oxygen. I just don't get the "let's not expose our child to any chemicals" thing. It is completely impossible because everything, our own bodies included are completely made up of chemicals. Water is a chemical. Every chemical has some sort of naturally occuring source. You cannot just create something form nothing.

Uh, sorry, you might be a chemist, but you're not taking into account lung issues, allergies etc. I'd be in Emerg within about 10 minutes of that kind of exposure....and 10% solution at MOST is all that's needed for any project, and in close quarters, it's common courtesy to inform/check with your neighbours first. And repeated exposure is one of the leading causes of allergic reactions to it. It's quite sensible to protect a baby from it.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Bleach is one of the few things that kills distemper/parvovirus. Perhapse the person doing the cleaning had reason tobelieve the area had been contaminated and was doing this to protect other animals in the area. He was cleaning an outside area, so my guess would be it was a well ventilated area, even if he was using straight bleach and a hose the concentration of bleach in the end was likely not more than 10% by the time he was done. Give everyone the benifit of the doubt, neighbor cleaning was trying to do something helpfull and OP is trying to keep her baby healthy. Mabye both need a little unbiased education about the benefits/hazards of bleach.

 

[DisneySweetheart]

Let it go. I think he's just being a good neighbor by keeping things clean. I seriously wouldn't give a second thought to using it outside. Inside a building in a common area...yes.

My mom used bleach religiously when I was a child....Inside and out and there ain't nuthin' wrong with me! My mum used it on everything from the porch to scrubbing our window screens with it in the spring.

Hopefully, you haven't ruined your chance to communicate effectively with him. Maybe you should go knock on his door, apologize and then plead your case to him that you were worried about the fumes because of your little one. If people are approached in a kind manner, they are likely to respond favorably to your request.

Goodluck

 

[3boymthr]

For OP. Definitely let it go. Make sure to apologize to the neighbor if you want to keep good relations and bear in mind that studies have shown that the more you expose your daughter in limited doses to allergens in her daily life the less likely she is to develop allergies. The more restricted the environment the more allergies you develop.

 

[Jenniferb]

This thread is cracking me up. Yes, some folks have allergies to bleach and those folks should stay away. But, I was thinking about my children. I remember my first. Her birthday is March 18. During spring break, which is the end of March, don't know the exact date, I took her to the beach. She went swimming in...yes, a chlorinated swimming pool. She was maybe two weeks old. She has seasonal allergy issues and asthmatic tendancies but that is just part of living in the deep south. She is 10 now and I think she's actually outgrown the asthmatic tendanciey. She has been fine since she started kindergarten. That chlorinated pool at two weeks old didn't hurt her one bit. As I type this, she is in that same pool swimming like a mermaid.

 

[disneybridetobe]

Can he come to my house?

The front porch and the rocking chair on it need to be cleaned off and bleach is what I use.

She'll actually be fine. The bleach outside won't hurt her a bit.

No kidding. He can come to my house too! (I also have a 19mo old DD)

 

[princessmom29]

As usual DISers are getting out of hand with their own personal opinions - geez, give OP a break!

Some of us are very allergic and asthmatic to chemicals, of which bleach is one. My mom and I are very allergic to bleach - we have respiratory issues, get hives, runny eyes and even nauseated/throw up. It is what it is.

I live in a very chemically polluted city - so many allergies, asthma and learning/behavior disabilities and autism present, so if the OP wants to protect her child, good for her. That being said though, I wouldn't talk to manager about it. She or hubby should have carefully and calmly spoken to neighbor about allergies with baby, and then I'm sure the neighbor would have responded favourably. He probably didn't even think twice about - I have serious chemical allergies, and I don't yell or snip at people (not saying OP did), and I have reason to as they harm me and make me sick. I know that people aren't being malicious when they wear perfume or use bleach. Honestly, people without allergies or chemical sensitivities just don't think about these things - hopefully you all can have an amicable relationship from this point forward and you can ask him to let you know if and when he is going to use bleach again as the fumes did find their way into your home.

Tiger

With an 8 month old baby though, the fumes could be very serious, so an allergy or respiratory issue could arise. Perhaps this is why the OP wants to protect her child, KWIM?

Believe me, having chemical allergies/asthma is no fun - I have had to miss out on many functions or events because people are doused in perfume or body sprays and that is no fun. Allergies or respiratory issues could come at any time, so I wouldn't be exposing my babies to bleach either.

Hopefully, the OP has figured out a polite way of handling this as I'm sure her neighbor wasn't being malicious at all. That being said though, most people don't think about others when doing these kinds of jobs, and they really should as bleach fumes can be really harmful to many people.

Tiger

Uh, sorry, you might be a chemist, but you're not taking into account lung issues, allergies etc. I'd be in Emerg within about 10 minutes of that kind of exposure....and 10% solution at MOST is all that's needed for any project, and in close quarters, it's common courtesy to inform/check with your neighbours first. And repeated exposure is one of the leading causes of allergic reactions to it. It's quite sensible to protect a baby from it.

Your case is EXTREMELY rare. True chemical allergies are much, much less common that allergies to plants. And it takes more than a 10% solution to kill viral diseases like parvovirus and distemper along with hepitits. I stand by my statement that bleach is the safest disinfectant to use in common houshold situations. Your case is an EXTREMELY rare exception to this. I don't see it as sensible to be that concerned about exposure when 99.9% of people would never have an advers reaction even after a lifetime of exposure. It just doesn't make sense to freak out about one exposure to a slight smell of bleach when there is not a history of a reaction. The odds are sooooo slim that there could be a problem. Following that logic i should keep my whole family from ever being exposed to grass because one of thwm might be allergic. There are cases of children allergic to sunlight so mabye we shouldn't go out untill after dark???

 

[Tiger926]

Your case is EXTREMELY rare. True chemical allergies are much, much less common that allergies to plants. And it takes more than a 10% solution to kill viral diseases like parvovirus and distemper along with hepitits. I stand by my statement that bleach is the safest disinfectant to use in common houshold situations. Your case is an EXTREMELY rare exception to this. I don't see it as sensible to be that concerned about exposure when 99.9% of people would never have an advers reaction even after a lifetime of exposure. It just doesn't make sense to freak out about one exposure to a slight smell of bleach when there is not a history of a reaction. The odds are sooooo slim that there could be a problem. Following that logic i should keep my whole family from ever being exposed to grass because one of thwm might be allergic. There are cases of children allergic to sunlight so mabye we shouldn't go out untill after dark???

Huh? What in the world are you talking about? Many people I know are bothered by the smell of bleach. I don't know about you, but most people I know don't find bleach to be a favourable scent at all.

Our reactions are not that rare at all - I know many people who are bothered by chemicals, and bleach is one of them. I guess you haven't read all of the caution notes on a bottle of bleach.

I'm starting to think you must work for the bleach industry - LOL! Tiger

 

[K and K's Mommy]

This thread has educated me because I had no idea people were allergic to bleach. I will say no one should come to my house right now because I just scrubbed two bathrooms with a bleach cleaner. I think they smell nice and clean!

To the OP - I bet he honestly didn't know people didn't like or were allergic to bleach. I certainly didn't, and I usually go out of my way to make sure I don't offend anyone.

 

[princessmom29]

Huh? What in the world are you talking about? Many people I know are bothered by the smell of bleach. I don't know about you, but most people I know don't find bleach to be a favourable scent at all.

Our reactions are not that rare at all - I know many people who are bothered by chemicals, and bleach is one of them. I guess you haven't read all of the caution notes on a bottle of bleach.

I'm starting to think you must work for the bleach industry - LOL! Tiger

Actually I teach! I am here to educate. A dislike for the smell, or being bothered by something and a severe allergic reaction are two totally different things. That kind of acute sensitivity to bleach that could put you in the emergency room is extremely rare. I have had literally thousands of students come through my lab where it is used daily and only had 2 or 3 that were so sensitive to it they had to drop the lab. The cautions on the bottle are directed to direct skin contact with an undiluted solution and inhalation of concentrated vapors, not the smell leftover after something has been cleaned. Beleive me when you use something in the lab on a daily basis you read the label carefully. When used according to the label directions it is extermely safe. If I am not using a dilute solution I use gloves. With a dilute solution it is not necessary except in very rare cases. I am not acting on some unwritten agenda here, just trying to clear up misinformation. My child's daycare cleans with bleach every morning and we are greeted by the smell at drop off. To me it is comforting to me to know that the restrooms, lunchroom ect will be a sanitary environment, and that it was not done with something like lysol, which can make a child sick if they get it in to their mouth even in small quantities. I was really glad to have a bottle of bleach during Katrina. Otherwise my 18 month old would have had no drinkable water when ours ran out after 4 days. A tablespoon to a gallon of water in the CDC recommendation to sanitize questionable water for drinking. Yes, my child drank bleach water and survived. She might not have if I had worried about wether or not she would develop an allergy to it because we did not have water for 11 days.

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

The downstairs guy got PO'd at my hubby for making a stink about the situation. We're probably going to wind up talking to the complex manager about it. My question is, would YOU talk to the manager or would you let it go?

I'd let it go. Bleach is commonly used to disinfect things (we used it daily when I taught in a preschool). Although I'm not at all a fan of the smell, and would probably try to stay away from that sidewalk until the smell went away, I'd certainly rather the bleach than whatever could have been on the sidewalk and could have been much worse.

 

[*BTMRR*]

What do people who are opposed to using bleach (or who can't use bleach due to respiratory issues) do when their kids have a stomach virus? How do you clean those bathrooms and sheets properly without a bleach solution? At least that's how my Mom raised me...stomach illness means break out the bleach. Never ever mixed with ammonia though! That's where the real hazard comes in. Maybe that's what the OP was thinking of?

 

[Tiger926]

Actually I teach! I am here to educate. A dislike for the smell, or being bothered by something and a severe allergic reaction are two totally different things. That kind of acute sensitivity to bleach that could put you in the emergency room is extremely rare. I have had literally thousands of students come through my lab where it is used daily and only had 2 or 3 that were so sensitive to it they had to drop the lab. The cautions on the bottle are directed to direct skin contact with an undiluted solution and inhalation of concentrated vapors, not the smell leftover after something has been cleaned. Beleive me when you use something in the lab on a daily basis you read the label carefully. When used according to the label directions it is extermely safe. If I am not using a dilute solution I use gloves. With a dilute solution it is not necessary except in very rare cases. I am not acting on some unwritten agenda here, just trying to clear up misinformation. My child's daycare cleans with bleach every morning and we are greeted by the smell at drop off. To me it is comforting to me to know that the restrooms, lunchroom ect will be a sanitary environment, and that it was not done with something like lysol, which can make a child sick if they get it in to their mouth even in small quantities. I was really glad to have a bottle of bleach during Katrina. Otherwise my 18 month old would have had no drinkable water when ours ran out after 4 days. A tablespoon to a gallon of water in the CDC recommendation to sanitize questionable water for drinking. Yes, my child drank bleach water and survived. She might not have if I had worried about wether or not she would develop an allergy to it because we did not have water for 11 days.

We are going to have to agree to disagree. While I can see your passion as you are a science teacher/microbiologist (sorry can't remember as I have a sinus cold today), the fact that your daughter's school has a bleach smell upon entrance is not good at all. In fact, kids with asthma, such as my son, would not be able to attend, and that doens't make any sense at all. My children's private school hires a cleaning crew to clean each and every night, 1 hour after school closes for several hours, and this is when bleaching and disinfecting is done. By the morning, all toxic fumes are gone and children and parents may enter. We have a huge allergic/asthmatic population in my city due to serious pollution, so they take these things very seriously. Similarly, there is no bleach allowed at my highschool either due to allergies/asthma. I am the health and safety teacher, so we have had to remove, due to board policy things such as bleach and alcohol due to reactions from students and staff.

I'm not trying to debate the importance of bleach, but honestly, you need to come to my city and you'll see just how many people (kids and adults) are bothered by bleach. Some of us could be hospitalized for it, while others not so severe, but there are other ways to disinfect and sanitize besides bleach. I do not use bleach in my home whatsoever, yet it's clean and healthy. I totally understand that there is chlorine in drinking water and swimming, but I would suspect the concentrations are different than a straight solution poured on a sidewalk. You would best know this as you are the expert here, and not I, so thanks for your good information in this regard.

Thanks for your info - hopefully mine has caused you to realize that some people are very bothered by bleach and it shouldn't matter if it's a serious reaction or not (didn't realize life was about scorekeeping), and so people need to be mindful when using bleach in public places such as schools, malls or apartment complexes. As I said, I know it's necessary for many things, but I just want people to recognize the fact that the smell of it is very much a problem for several of us.

Thanks, Tiger

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Bleach in a solution of 1/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water is the approved cleaner for daycare/preschools in my area. We use this solution daily, several times a day actually when the kids are in the room. We use it after a soap and water cleaning to sanitize the tables before and after food is served, we use it on the water fountain between kids and on the sinks after hand washing. It is also used on the changing tables after each kid and on all the toys at the end and begining of each day. I'm not sure what we would do if a child was allergic to bleach since it is the only cleaner approved by DHS. We used another agent once, but had to switch back when the the probationary approval was not continued.

 

[princessmom29]

We are going to have to agree to disagree. While I can see your passion as you are a science teacher/microbiologist (sorry can't remember as I have a sinus cold today), the fact that your daughter's school has a bleach smell upon entrance is not good at all. In fact, kids with asthma, such as my son, would not be able to attend, and that doens't make any sense at all. My children's private school hires a cleaning crew to clean each and every night, 1 hour after school closes for several hours, and this is when bleaching and disinfecting is done. By the morning, all toxic fumes are gone and children and parents may enter. We have a huge allergic/asthmatic population in my city due to serious pollution, so they take these things very seriously. Similarly, there is no bleach allowed at my highschool either due to allergies/asthma. I am the health and safety teacher, so we have had to remove, due to board policy things such as bleach and alcohol due to reactions from students and staff.

I'm not trying to debate the importance of bleach, but honestly, you need to come to my city and you'll see just how many people (kids and adults) are bothered by bleach. Some of us could be hospitalized for it, while others not so severe, but there are other ways to disinfect and sanitize besides bleach. I do not use bleach in my home whatsoever, yet it's clean and healthy. I totally understand that there is chlorine in drinking water and swimming, but I would suspect the concentrations are different than a straight solution poured on a sidewalk. You would best know this as you are the expert here, and not I, so thanks for your good information in this regard.

Thanks for your info - hopefully mine has caused you to realize that some people are very bothered by bleach and it shouldn't matter if it's a serious reaction or not (didn't realize life was about scorekeeping), and so people need to be mindful when using bleach in public places such as schools, malls or apartment complexes. As I said, I know it's necessary for many things, but I just want people to recognize the fact that the smell of it is very much a problem for several of us.

Thanks, Tiger

Our school systems are on opposite ends of the spectrum on this obviously. My child's school is required per DHR regulations to sanitize within so many hours of the arrival of children using one of a shot list of approved cleaners. Bleach is the only acceptable choice for food prep and service areas, and in toddler areas where children are likely to put things in their mouths. I am required by school system policy to sanitize daily with bleach in the biology lab because we work with live bacteria in the AP labs. I never said life is about scorekeeping. I agree that there are other ways to sanitize besides bleach, but statisically belach is the option that is likely to cause problems for the smallest percentage of the population and still truly kill both viruses and bacteria. I was on the committe that helped to decide how to write the regs. for sanitizing in schools and we studied the stats. Bleach is the solution based on both the nationwide and local statistics on people with diagnosed allergies. A sensitivity and an allergy are two different phisological responses. I am sensitive to perfume. It often gives me a headache. I am not allergic to it. My body does not produce histimine in response to it so my sensitivity is not dangerous to my health. It is simply an annoyance. Most people who dislike the smell of bleach have a sensitivity not an allergy and as such it is not a health hazard at all to those with a sensitivity. You apparently have a true allergy which according to national statistics is very rare. Less that one tenth of one percent of the population exhibit it. On the other hand at least 10 times as many have life threatening allergic reactions to lysol. My point is that statistically bleach is the best sanitizing option.

 

[Jenniferb]

I'm really diggin' this thread. It reminds me of peanut butter! You know, the whole 'no peanut butter allowed with in ten miles of my child's classroom' rule. Before long, all children are going to have to be in a plastic 'space suit' before they are allow to leave their own house. I guess I'm a lax sort of mom. My kids have to clean there own bathroom with...yes...a bleach type cleaner. They do not like the smell but they are not allergic. I think some folks are just going to have to let this one go...just like peanut butter. Some are in the camp of we must have it, and some are in the camp of it is toxic. I guess that is why Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors. Everyone is differnt.

 

[Leajess99]

Bleach in a solution of 1/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water is the approved cleaner for daycare/preschools in my area. We use this solution daily, several times a day actually when the kids are in the room. We use it after a soap and water cleaning to sanitize the tables before and after food is served, we use it on the water fountain between kids and on the sinks after hand washing. It is also used on the changing tables after each kid and on all the toys at the end and begining of each day. I'm not sure what we would do if a child was allergic to bleach since it is the only cleaner approved by DHS. We used another agent once, but had to switch back when the the probationary approval was not continued.

I know that at one point in time some daycares in Washinton state were not using the bleach nor were they washing their hands and ecoli spread causing children sick. My son's daycare was on Ft Lewis and they were definitely using the bleach to wach everything down. Ecoli is very awful and after living in Washington state during the Ecoli outbreak thanks to jack in the Box, I never want that risk again. We use bleach here to clean everything and my kids have no problems with it.

 

[TinkerBrie]

I LOVE bleach!!!! I love the smell,too! I clean everything I can with bleach!

 

[surfergirl602]

I don't get what the big deal is. You can sterilize baby bottles and nipples with bleach. It's a good disinfectant. We use it in the military youth center I work in for a spray for the tables, the chairs - diluted, of course, but its mandatory. Written in the SOP's that we use it. It was outside - what's the big deal? I don't see a reason for her to even have to go to Grandmas. What was on the cement before he cleaned it with bleach would probably have done more harm to her than the residual effects of the smell of the bleach he cleaned it with. I would be grateful that he cleaned it!

 

[chigirl]

I'm really diggin' this thread. It reminds me of peanut butter! You know, the whole 'no peanut butter allowed with in ten miles of my child's classroom' rule. Before long, all children are going to have to be in a plastic 'space suit' before they are allow to leave their own house. I guess I'm a lax sort of mom. My kids have to clean there own bathroom with...yes...a bleach type cleaner. They do not like the smell but they are not allergic. I think some folks are just going to have to let this one go...just like peanut butter. Some are in the camp of we must have it, and some are in the camp of it is toxic. I guess that is why Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors. Everyone is differnt.

Yeah, baby!!!

It has already been proven that the peanut allergy craze was created by a special-interest lobby group, maybe now there is one for bleach? Seriously...it breaks down to salt and water. It's the safest thing to use when used properly.

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