Quick facts about chlorine: From WWI to the local pool
Quick facts about chlorine: From WWI to the local pool
No antidote exists for chlorine exposure
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a few quick facts about chlorine, one of the more dangerous chemicals regularly transported throughout the nation.
- Chlorine is an element used in industry and found in some household products.
- It is sometimes in the form of a poisonous gas. The gas can be pressurized and cooled to change it into a liquid so that it can be shipped and stored. When liquid chlorine is released, it quickly turns into a gas that stays close to the ground and spreads rapidly.
- Chlorine gas can be recognized by its pungent, irritating odor, which is like that bleach. The strong smell may provide an adequate warning to people that they have been exposed. The gas appears to be yellow-green in color.
- It is not flammable, but it can react explosively or form explosive compounds with other chemicals such as turpentine and ammonia.
- It was used during World War I as a choking (pulmonary) agent.
- It is one of the most commonly manufactured chemicals in the United States. Its most important use is as a bleach in the manufacture of paper and cloth, but it also is used to make pesticides (insect killers), rubber, and solvents.
- It is used in drinking water and swimming pool water to kill harmful bacteria. It also is used as part of the sanitation process for industrial waste and sewage.
- Household chlorine bleach can release a gas if it is mixed with other cleaning agents.
- The extent of poisoning depends on the amount a person is exposed, how the person was exposed, and the length of time of the exposure.
- When chlorine gas comes into contact with moist tissues such as the eyes, throat, and lungs, an acid is produced that can damage these tissues.
- Signs and symptoms of exposure: During or immediately after exposure to dangerous concentrations of chlorine, the following signs and symptoms may develop:
— coughing;
— chest tightness;
— burning sensation in the nose, throat, and eyes;
— watery eyes;
— blurred vision;
— nausea and vomiting;
— burning pain, redness, and blisters on the skin if exposed to gas, skin injury similar to frostbite if exposed to liquid;
— difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (may appear immediately if high concentrations of chlorine gas are inhaled, or may be delayed if low concentrations of gas are inhaled);
— fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) within two to four hours.
- Those exposed should remove clothing, rapidly wash entire body with soap and water, and get medical care as quickly as possible.
- No antidote exists for chlorine exposure. Treatment consists of removing the chemical from the body as soon as possible and providing supportive medical care in a hospital setting.
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