Systemic harmful effects of ingestion of household bleaches

Household bleaches that contain sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide ar e the common domestic agents used all around the world, which are frequentl y accidently ingested by children. Commercial household bleaches are known to have minor adverse effects when ingested, as being mucosal irritants, em etics and weak corrosives. However, our clinical observations of pneumoniti s among household bleach ingested by patients without a history of aspirati on foretell some possible systemic toxic effects of household bleaches. An experimental study on rats was designed to evaluate systemic effects of hou sehold bleaches that contain 4% sodium hypochlorite and less than 0.05% sod ium hydroxide on lungs, livers, kidneys and intestines after 2, 4, 6 12, 24 and 48 hours of administration via intragastric route. Prominent congestio n and some interstitial mononuclear cellular infiltration were observed in the lungs, the livers and the kidneys of the rats after administration of h ousehold bleaches. Additionally, the lungs showed expansion of the alveolar spaces. While erosive changes were present in the stomachs, the intestines were normal. These histopathological changes were especially prominent at early periods of systemic administration. In the second part of the study, to assess whether these findings would hold for intravenous administration of household bleaches, another group of rats were given intravenous adminis tration of household bleach and after 4 hours of intravenous administration of household bleach, the same histopathological changes above were observe d in the lungs, kidneys and livers. The study indicates that household blea ches may have systemic effects prominent during early periods of ingestion, although the clinical importance remains to be clarified.