Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Chemical reaction with diapers

Be careful with those diapers

A health department is looking into the possibility that chlorine-soaked rags were thrown out in a diaper pail and came in contact with the ammonia that forms from urine. The mixture may have caused a chemical reaction that lead to several people getting sick.

An investigator said it was possible that rags were thrown in diaper pails in the past, but if they landed on the plastic-coated outside of a diaper it would not cause a chemical reaction.

more here...


If this happens in your home you may have too many diapers lying around.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amonia is the smell of stale urine. It is the byproduct of bacteria that live on urine. It is possible that a diaper can contain twice the volumn of amonia that it once held as urine.

3 Parts Chlorine Bleach + 1 Part Ammonia ---> Sodium Hydroxide + Nitrogen Trichloride
3NaOCl + NH3 --> 3NaOH + NCl3

Chlorine Bleach + 2 Parts Ammonia --> Sodium Nitrogen Dioxide + Chlorine Gas
NaOCl + 2NH3 --> 2NaONH3 + Cl2.

Both Chlorine Gas and Nitrogen Trichloride are extremly poisonus to humans. The latter (NCl3), is also a volitile chemical and can explode in an oxegen atmosphere. Therefore, when you remove the lid from a diaper pail containing stale diapers and bleach covered cloth, the rush of air into the mix could cause an explosion.

Keith

8:09 a.m.

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