Alkalinity of non-industrial cleaning products and the likelihood of producing significant esophageal burns.
Alkaline cleaning products are a cause of serious esophageal injury. Over time, legislation has diminished the concentration of many such non-industrial solutions and solids; however several products presently do not list either the pH or relative concentrations of alkaline constituents. This study measures the pHs of several non-industrial cleaning products containing either ammonium chloride, sodium hydroxide, or potassium hydroxide. Three pH measurements were performed on each of 10 non-industrial alkaline cleaning products (eight liquid, two solid). Two 0.1% ammonium chloride solutions had pHs of 12.06 +/- 0.00 and 12.06 +/- 0.01, whereas a pH of 12.43 +/- 0.00 was recorded in a 0.2% ammonium chloride solution. Concentrations of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide were listed on only one of five liquid cleaning product labels. The pHs for these five products varied between 12.83 +/- 0.009 and 13.5 +/- .0.2. The pHs of three sodium hydroxide solutions differed from values reported in Micromedex (Micromedex Inc, Denver CO) by up to 0.32 pH units. Ten percent (v/v) solutions of two solid lye products had pHs of 13.62 +/- 0.008 and 13.74 +/- 0.02. The investigator found that selected non-industrial cleaning products, including ammonia solutions, retain the ability to cause clinically important esophageal damage.
North East Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Akron, OH.
J M
JM
Howell
D000643:Ammonium Chloride / Q000009:adverse effects; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000209:etiology*; D003902:Detergents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006878:Hydroxides / Q000009:adverse effects; D011188:Potassium / Q000009:adverse effects; D017680:Potassium Compounds; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide / Q000009:adverse effects
D003902:Detergents; D006878:Hydroxides; D017680:Potassium Compounds; D000643:Ammonium Chloride; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide; D011188:Potassium; C029943:potassium hydroxide