Figure 1: Prince plus bleach
"How do I keep my dog so white you ask? Well, I use bleach!!!" Now I don't use bleach to keep my dog white, but do I use it when cleaning up my murder… I mean my bathroom! Bleach is a commonly used household product since it disinfects, it cleans and it can whiten clothes and this is due to the active ingredient in bleach, Sodium Hypochlorite1.
Sodium Hypochlorite is part of the Chlorine family and therefore it is commonly used as a disinfectant5. Sodium Hypochlorite works by denaturing proteins in microorganisms, which is a fancy way to say that it kills bacteria, fungus, and viruses1. It similarly removes stains, by breaking down the molecules in a stain into smaller elements so it can easily separate from fabric6.
Sodium hypochlorite is produced by mixing chlorine with sodium hydroxide8. Household bleach’s commonly from the brand Clorox contain a solution of sodium hypochlorite ranging from 3%-5% and industrial/clinical bleach contain a solution ranging from 10%-15%1.
Surprisingly it is not as toxic as most would believe, ingesting or inhaling results in minor side effects such as irritation of the mouth, throat, lungs, eyes, and nose, with more intense side effects being vomiting, diarrhea or nausea4. Bleach is commonly used in suicide attempts however, a lot would have to be consumed to be lethal and because the body usually rejects the sodium hypochlorite in bleach, most people cannot drink enough for it to be lethal4,7,9. By itself, sodium hypochlorite is not dangerously toxic but it becomes more toxic when mixed with other chemicals/products such as acidic or ammonia-based products, mixing sodium hypochlorite with these types of chemicals results in the release of toxic gases5.
There are alternatives to bleach such as several other cleaning products or do it yourself techniques involving vinegar/citric acid, hydrogen peroxide or baking soda2. So, there is no need to use bleach if someone does not want to. However, I am going to stick to using bleach, as it is not toxic so long as I use it appropriately and it is easier to access and not overly expensive.
References
1The use of bleach. https://www.info.gov.hk/info/sars/en/useofbleach.htm (January 27,2020)
2Tiffany. DIY: all natural homemade bleach alternative. 2019. Don’t waste the crumbs. https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/diy-natural-homemade-bleach-alternative/ (January 27, 2020)
3Sodium hypochlorite, 2015. Public health England. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/427651/Sodium_hypochlorite_TO_PHE__130515.pdf(January 27, 2020)
4Sodium hypochlorite, 2007. Allied universal corporation. https://www.unil.ch/cig/files/live/sites/cig/files/FAQ/Safety/PDF/MSDS/Sodium%20hypochlorite-msds.pdf (January 27, 2020)
5OxyChem sodium hypochlorite handbook, 2014. Occidental chemical corporation. https://www.oxy.com/OurBusinesses/Chemicals/Products/Documents/sodiumhypochlorite/bleach.pdf (January 27, 2020)
6Bleach, 2020. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/chemistry/chemistry-general/bleach (January 27, 2020)
7Peck, B., Workeneh, B., Kadikoy, H., Patel, S. J., & Abdellatif, A. (2011). Spectrum of sodium hypochlorite toxicity in man—also a concern for nephrologists. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation Plus, 4(4), 231-235. (4)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4421444/
8Disinfectants sodium hypochlorite. https://www.lenntech.com/processes/disinfection/chemical/disinfectants-sodium-hypochlorite.htm (January 27, 2020)
9Chandler, N & Harder, J. What if you drink bleach, 2019. Howstuffworks. https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/what-if/what-if-drink-bleach.htm (January 27, 2020)
10Figure 1: Kumar, B. (2020). Prince plus bleach, Alberta, 2020. [Photograph].
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