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Burlington restaurant manager died after another worker mixed two cleaners that shouldn't have been mixed
By adamg on Fri, 11/08/2019 - 6:50pm
The Burlington Fire Department reports that Ryan Baldera, 32, of Lawrence, the manager of the Buffalo Wild Wings across from the Burlington Mall, died yesterday after a worker mixed two cleaning products in the kitchen:
A preliminary investigation conducted in conjunction with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) indicates that a second employee had applied two substances, Super 8 and Scale Kleen, to the kitchen floor while attempting to clean it. The two substances reacted with one another, creating toxic fumes.
Super 8 is a bleach-based product. Scale Kleen is an acid-based product, the safety data sheet for which says it shouldn't be mixed with bleach.
Some 13 restaurant workers and patrons checked themselves into the hospital after developing breathing problems and burning eyes, the department says, adding all have since been released.
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Comments
Seemed obvious that was what happened
Several of my friends and I all guessed that bleach and Clorox (an acid) or the equivalents had been mixed. An important safety issue that everyone should be taught about.
Clorox *is* bleach
+1; i was assuming bleach +
+1; i was assuming bleach + ammonia.
Bleach plus citric acid.
Bleach plus citric acid.
Same result.
So very sad that this guy wasn't properly trained in chemical handling, and didn't know that the best practice is to get out and stay out. He died trying to contain the mess because he felt he had to be responsible. He tried to do the right thing because his employer, like many employers, didn't get that using and handling hazardous chemicals requires training in their proper storage, use, and emergency response.
Chemical fumes are no different than fires - clear the building and let the people with proper training and safety equipment take care of it.
I meant ammonia
No internet or other services for 2+ days plus a bad cold = brain fog and clumsy fingers on the phone.
The worker didn’t mix snything
They were cleaning the floor with one product when a container of another product fell off a shelf and spilled onto the first cleaner. Then they mixed creating the gas.
Yes, don't try this at home
Bleach products and lots of other things will cause you serious problems, and sometimes kill you, when mixed together.
Dangers of Mixing Bleach with Cleaners
Don't mix bleach with ammonia, acids, or other cleaners. Mixing bleach with common cleaning products can cause serious injuries. Be sure to always read the product label before using a cleaning product.
Chlorine Bleach
Sodium Hypochlorite is the active ingredient in chlorine bleach. It is found in household bleach and many other disinfectants. Sodium hypochlorite reacts with ammonia, drain cleaners, and other acids. Many household products state that they contain bleach on the label.
Mixing Bleach and Ammonia
When bleach is mixed with ammonia, toxic gases called chloramines are produced. Exposure to chloramine gases can cause the following symptoms:
Coughing.
Nausea.
Shortness of breath.
Watery eyes.
Chest pain.
Irritation to the throat, nose, and eyes.
Wheezing.
Pneumonia and fluid in the lungs.
Ammonia Products
In addition to using ammonia as a cleaning product, ammonia can be found in some glass and window cleaners, interior and exterior paints, and in urine (use caution when cleaning litter boxes, diaper pails, or toilet bowls).
Mixing Bleach and Acids
When chlorine bleach is mixed with an acid, chlorine gas is given off. Chlorine gas and water combine to make hydrochloric and hypochlorous acids.
Chlorine gas exposure, even at low levels and short periods of time, almost always irritates the mucous membranes (eyes, throat, and nose), and causes coughing and breathing problems, burning and watery eyes, and a runny nose. Higher levels of exposure can cause chest pain, more severe breathing difficulties, vomiting, pneumonia, and fluid in the lungs. Very high levels can cause death.
Chlorine can be absorbed through the skin, resulting in pain, inflammation, swelling, and blistering. Hydrochloric acid also causes burns to the skin, eyes, nose, throat, mouth, and lungs.
Acid Products
Products containing acids include vinegar and some glass and window cleaners, automatic dishwasher detergents and rinses, toilet bowl cleaners, drain cleaners, rust removal products, and brick and concrete cleaners.
Mixing Bleach with Other Cleaning Products
Bleach also reacts with some oven cleaners, hydrogen peroxide, and some insecticides. Pool chemicals frequently contain calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite and should not be mixed with other cleaning products.
https://www.doh.wa.gov/youandyourfamily/healthyhome/contaminants/bleachm...
Thanks
Thanks for going to the website I linked to, copying a big chunk of the text there, and pasting it into a comment here. Perhaps I should not assume that everyone is capable of clicking the link and reading it there.
Bleach and ammonia
= chlorine gas
(Sorry for the error. Was told mustard gas as a child, and obviously had a flashback as I was typing)
Mustard gas has a sulfur atom in it
Bleach and ammonia don't. :-) It's unrelated. Bleach and ammonia form a type of chloramine. (Some kind of chloramine is used for tap water disinfection, but it's deadly if you breath it in large quantities.)
In fact, it looks from Wikipedia like you can destroy mustard gas with a chloramine...
No
Mustard gas is something else.
Just stop.
There has been so much misinformation on this thread. Everyone who doesn’t know for sure what you are talking about please refrain from posting.
If people did that....
If that happened, the post count would severely go south here.
I think that the misinformed posts help the site and help Adam financially, even if they are annoying.
?
site admins get paid per comment?
I don't think so
I do not think misinformation about common chemical hazards helps anyone, and can contribute to situations that are far beyond annoying.
Your credentials please
Mr. Lepoop.
I have no credentials
I have no credentials, which is why I follow my own advice and refrain from making posts about industrial chemistry.