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[ancistrus]

So i just used this with boiling water to clean my bathroom sink. Nothing went wrong, but it has produced quite a heavy stench and the area is difficult to ventilate. The product information does not address this. Are there any dangers in inhaling the ...whatever gas or vapour which was produced during the reaction? OFC I did my best not to breathe the stuff but I want to know how long till I can take a shower again.

[LordBucket]

So i just used this with boiling water to clean my bathroom sink. Nothing went wrong, but it has produced quite a heavy stench and the area is difficult to ventilate. The product information does not address this. Are there any dangers in inhaling the ...whatever gas or vapour which was produced during the reaction? OFC I did my best not to breathe the stuff but I want to know how long till I can take a shower again.

There are sodium hydroxide cleaners for home use?  Wow...There are. That's hilarious. Sodium hydroxide is one of chemicals people in another thread have been using to claim that solar cell production is more dangerous than nuclear waste.

Anyway, to answer your question:

Are there any dangers in inhaling the ...whatever gas or vapour

http://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/files/sodhydrxfaq.txt

"Breathing sodium hydroxide dust or mist causes mild or serious effects, depending on the amount of exposure. Effects may include sneezing, sore throat or runny nose. Severe inflammation of the lungs can occur. "

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002487.htm

Airways and lungs
 * Breathing difficulty (from inhalation)
 * Lung inflammation
 * Sneezing
 * Throat swelling (which may also cause breathing difficulty)"

how long till I can take a shower again.

"In the United States, call 1-800-222-1222 to speak with a local poison control center. This hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

Call the poison control center and ask them.

Then report back here in the thread and tell us what they say.

[Bumber]

The smell could possibly be sewer gases escaping from your drain (which is bad.) This can happen if your sink's U-bend is cracked or empty of water.

There are sodium hydroxide cleaners for home use?  Wow...There are. That's hilarious. Sodium hydroxide is one of chemicals people in another thread have been using to claim that solar cell production is more dangerous than nuclear waste.

It's lye. A very strong base which you obviously don't want to touch or inhale, but you could always neutralize it with an acid like vinegar or lemon juice or something. I don't know if you could call that more dangerous, given the proper safety equipment. You very much don't want to any radioactive particles in your lungs. Even (and especially) the alpha particles normally blocked by your skin.

[Orange Wizard]

I'm not sure if quaffing vinegar is the best course of action. +1 to calling the poisons guys. If you don't live in the US, a quick Google search should reveal their number to ou.

Sodium hydroxide is one of chemicals people in another thread have been using to claim that solar cell production is more dangerous than nuclear waste.

Wait, really?

[SanDiego]

I heartily recommend not inhaling any of the stuff you produced. It's probably caustic and/or poisonous. Ventilate the area as well as possible, I recommend at least 8-12 hours of open windows.

Sodium hydroxide is one of chemicals people in another thread have been using to claim that solar cell production is more dangerous than nuclear waste.

Wait, really?

Yeah, really. Sodium hydroxide is nasty.

[Bumber]

I'm not sure if quaffing vinegar is the best course of action.

I meant for cleaning spills, etc. Can't do that for nuclear waste.

I don't see how it would hurt, though, at least for topical contact. Drinking may be a suffocation risk. Water is just more accessible to rinse with.

[Baffler]

Yeah, NaOH (lye) is a very strong base and is quite harmful to a good many things.

If you did this near your kitchen, turning on your range hood (if you have one) is a good idea as well.

[Tellemurius]

I'm not sure if quaffing vinegar is the best course of action.

I meant for cleaning spills, etc. Can't do that for nuclear waste.

I don't see how it would hurt, though, at least for topical contact. Drinking may be a suffocation risk. Water is just more accessible to rinse with.

Lye is a base compound which doesn't dilute with water as well as acids. Its extremely dangerous as bases are bonded with their surroundings like glue so it doesn't roll off like acid.

[aenri]

So i just used this with boiling water to clean my bathroom sink. Nothing went wrong, but it has produced quite a heavy stench and the area is difficult to ventilate. The product information does not address this. Are there any dangers in inhaling the ...whatever gas or vapour which was produced during the reaction? OFC I did my best not to breathe the stuff but I want to know how long till I can take a shower again.

Well, NaOH is pretty good at cleaning the gunk out of sink, but better idea would be disassembling the drains of sink. If you smell something from your sink its 99% hidden there. Probably rotting hair/skin, maybe some fungus with a dose of soap.
You will need to clean out your water trap underneath the sink.

But do it after you wash out NaOH. Just pour some water down the sink, if you want to be extra sure, vinegar - that should neutralize any base left in plumbing.
Sodium hydroxide per se isn't that dangerous for home use. HCl and H3PO4 that I routinely use for cleaning toilets are far more dangerous for inhaling and skin.

[ancistrus]

Well, NaOH is pretty good at cleaning the gunk out of sink, but better idea would be disassembling the drains of sink. If you smell something from your sink its 99% hidden there. Probably rotting hair/skin, maybe some fungus with a dose of soap.
You will need to clean out your water trap underneath the sink.

But do it after you wash out NaOH. Just pour some water down the sink, if you want to be extra sure, vinegar - that should neutralize any base left in plumbing.
Sodium hydroxide per se isn't that dangerous for home use. HCl and H3PO4 that I routinely use for cleaning toilets are far more dangerous for inhaling and skin.

I had tried disassembling first, but despite initial successes, I was unable to do it completely. I suspect too much limescale buildup has petrified the whole thing. (we are talking about dormitory sink, not my own)
As for the stench, it was definitely related to NaOH, not anything rotting.

Call the poison control center and ask them.

Then report back here in the thread and tell us what they say.

According to the Czech toxicology information center, there is some risk with inhaling the raw NaOH, but once it has been used in an intended way, it is safe to breathe in the area.

/thread

[Bumber]

Lye is a base compound which doesn't dilute with water as well as acids. Its extremely dangerous as bases are bonded with their surroundings like glue so it doesn't roll off like acid.

However, for skin contact all the medical instructions I find suggest rinsing with water for at least 15 minutes, with no mention of vinegar. Perhaps there is risk for secondary damage after the skin has reacted with the base?

But do it after you wash out NaOH. Just pour some water down the sink, if you want to be extra sure, vinegar - that should neutralize any base left in plumbing.
Sodium hydroxide per se isn't that dangerous for home use. HCl and H3PO4 that I routinely use for cleaning toilets are far more dangerous for inhaling and skin.

Bases are actually a bit more dangerous to living tissue than acids. Acids react primarily with metals and carbonates (i.e, limestone,) and sometimes with water (this is the danger.) Bases will react with the phospholipids that make up cell membranes. They're both very dangerous in high concentrations, but bases will react more quickly.

[ancistrus]

Lye is a base compound which doesn't dilute with water as well as acids. Its extremely dangerous as bases are bonded with their surroundings like glue so it doesn't roll off like acid.

However, for skin contact all the medical instructions I find suggest rinsing with water for at least 15 minutes, with no mention of vinegar. Perhaps there is risk for secondary damage after the skin has reacted with the base?

My google results said that neutralization would be highly exothermic.

[Bumber]

My google results said that neutralization would be highly exothermic.

It seems so:
http://www.soapalooza.com/blog/2014/01/how-to-handle-a-lye-spill/ (I think it's wrong about baking soda and vinegar volcanoes being exothermic, though.)

Dilute with water first, then vinegar.

[Blargityblarg]

Yep, acid/base reactions produce a fuckton of heat. Even dissolving acids produces a lot of heat; for concentrated acids you have to add acid to water rather than the other way around so that the water doesn't instantly boil and spit acid everywhere.

[Tellemurius]

Yep, acid/base reactions produce a fuckton of heat. Even dissolving acids produces a lot of heat; for concentrated acids you have to add acid to water rather than the other way around so that the water doesn't instantly boil and spit acid everywhere.

Well its not just that, in water ionic acids dilutes themselves down to ions and bond with the water. When you increase water you can instantly cut down the concentration so you can literally wash it off in seconds.

As I said though bases do not dilute very well with water due to the OH- ion. It takes alot longer to remove but its lot less painful then attempting to neutralize.