Chlorine

Overview

Chlorine is a chemical element commonly used in some jobs and is found in some household products, like bleach.

Chlorine has the following traits:

• Yellow-green gas under normal conditions
• Smells like bleach
• Dissolvable in water
• Liquid when pressurized and kept cool

Chlorine is turned into a liquid for storage and transport. When liquid chlorine is released, it quickly turns into a gas that stays close to the ground and spreads quickly.

Signs and symptoms

Most people will smell the chemical or feel irritation that tells you that you are exposed to chlorine. Exposure for a long time may affect people's ability to sense the chemical. Some people with asthma or other lung diseases may be more sensitive to breathing chlorine than others.

Effects depend on how the person was exposed, how much they were exposed to, and how long they were exposed for.

When chlorine gas touches moist tissues (like the eyes, throat, and lungs) it creates an acid that can hurt these tissues.

If high amounts are breathed in, breathing problems may show up right away. Symptoms of exposure to higher levels of chlorine include the following:

• Blurred vision or eye tearing
• Burning feeling in the nose, throat, lungs, and eyes
• Coughing and/or coughing up white to pink-colored fluid
• Chest tightness
• Breathing problems, shortness of breath, or rapid and shallow breathing
• Respiratory failure (too much carbon dioxide in your body)
• Frostbite if exposed to liquid chlorine
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Skin pain, redness, and/or blisters

If low amounts are breathed in, symptoms may show up later.

Exposure

If chlorine is in the air, people can be exposed through skin or eye contact, or breathing in the chlorine gas. If chlorine is in water, people can be exposed by touching or drinking water that contains chlorine.

Because chlorine gas is heavier than air, it will sink to lower areas and increase the risk of exposure there.

Chlorine in food

Chlorine is unlikely to be eaten or drunk, because it has a very bad smell and taste. Do not use or eat food that smells, tastes, or looks unusual.

Do not eat food that may have touched liquid chlorine if the food is not in a glass or metal container. If the food is in an unbroken sealed glass or metal container, it should not be affected by chlorine. Wash the outside of the container before using.

Follow any directions by local authorities.

What to do if you are exposed

Get away

Get away from the area where the chlorine was released and breathe fresh air.

Outdoors

If the chlorine release was outdoors, go indoors and shelter in place. Make sure windows are closed and ventilation systems are turned off to make sure the chlorine does not come inside.

If you cannot go indoors, leave the area where the chlorine was released.

Indoors

If the chlorine release was indoors, get out of the building. If the chlorine release was from household cleaners or chemicals, open windows and doors to let in fresh air. Leave the area until the gas has gone away.

If you cannot get away, go to the highest ground possible because chlorine is heavier than air and will sink.

Get clean

Get clean by taking off all clothes, jewelry, and accessories and showering as soon as you can. Showering is the best method for removing chlorine from your body. If you cannot take off all layers, take off as many clothes as you can.

Take your clothes off

If clothes are frozen to your body, do not try to remove until no longer frozen. Instead, begin washing with a lot of lukewarm water. Then remove your clothes.

Do not pull clothing over your head. If you must pull clothing over your head, close your eyes and mouth, and hold your breath. This will stop the chlorine from getting in your eyes, nose, or mouth. Put clothes in a plastic bag. Drop clothes to the floor.

If you wear contact lenses, take them out and place them with your clothing. Do not put contact lenses back in.

Wash your body

Wash your hair, face, and hands, and then wash the rest of your body. Wash from your head to your feet, including armpits and groin, with lots of lukewarm water and mild soap for several minutes. Finish with a plain water rinse. Try not to let the water run into your eyes, nose, or mouth. Do not scrub!

If your eyes are burning or you can't see normally, wash your eyes for 10–15 minutes with lukewarm water. Do not use eye drops.

Dry your face, then tilt your head back and dry your hair, and then dry down your body. Use anything that will soak up water. Drop used things to the floor. Dress in any available clean clothes to prevent hypothermia (low body temperature). This is especially important if temperatures are cool.

Clear the dirty items

If emergency response services are available, leave used items on the floor and report where they are to emergency teams. Move as far from the used items as possible.

Otherwise, put on waterproof or heavy gloves that won't let liquid through. Gather all used things from the floor and put them in a plastic bag, close it up, and place it in a second plastic bag. Close up the second bag also.

Do not put the bags in the regular trash! Place the bags in an area where other people are unlikely to disturb them and touch chlorine. Inform local authorities of the location of the bags for pick up.

Get help

Get help right away by calling 911, going to the hospital if local officials say it is safe to leave your home, or calling the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.

Treatment

If someone has swallowed chlorine, do not force vomiting.

No known cure exists for chlorine exposure.

Treatment involves removing chlorine from the body as soon as possible and providing supportive medical care. Symptoms can be treated in a hospital setting or by trained emergency personnel.

Long-term health effects

Short exposure

Lung health usually returns to normal within 7 to 14 days. Although most people recover completely, symptoms and lung issues may continue for those more seriously exposed. Exposure to chlorine can lead to reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS), asthma caused by chemicals.

Long term exposure

This often occurs in the workplace. Teeth may be weakened. Multiple exposures to chlorine may also produce flu-like symptoms and high risk of RADS.