Following Georgia's chemical fire that caused many residents to either evacuate or shelter themselves indoors, people now have questions about BioLab and its roster of products. This won't be a comprehensive list, to be clear, but I want to cover at least some of the company's most sought-after products and gauge how safe they are.
First, and most importantly, Chlorine. Traditionally, people buy chlorine to clean and sanitize pools. Common knowledge! However, chlorine is not to be taken lightly. Used incorrectly, a person could suffer many potential detrimental health effects. Including, but certainly not limited to: Airway irritation; Wheezing; Difficulty breathing; Sore throat; Cough; Chest tightness; Eye irritation; and Skin irritation. And truthfully, those are only the immediate effects.
The New York State Department of Health also warns about the potential long-term effects. "The severity of health effects depend upon the route of exposure, the dose and the duration of exposure to chlorine. Breathing high levels of chlorine causes fluid build-up in the lungs, a condition known as pulmonary edema. The development of pulmonary edema may be delayed for several hours after exposure to chlorine. Contact with compressed liquid chlorine may cause frostbite of the skin and eyes."
List Of BioLab Products Following Georgia's Chemical Fire
As many of the products have the same overlapping harmful effects, I'll simply list a few of BioLab's most notable products! Kleen It (cleaner that handles pools and spa filters). Mineral Springs Cell Cleaner (cleans saltwater pool systems). Off the Wall (made for cleaning pool surfaces). Stow Away (stores and cleans pool covers). Strip Kwik (best used for removing oils and grime). Spa Filter Cleaner (cleans spa filters). Salt Water Cell Cleaner (same as Mineral Springs).
"Chlorine poisoning" also comes with a host of health hazards to look out for per WebMD (which can overlap with the immediate effects of mishandling chlorine).
- Fast breathing
- Blue skin
- Rapid heartbeat
- Wheezing
- Your stomach sinking in under your ribs when breathing
- Nasal flaring when breathing
- High-pitched sound when breathing
- Hemorrhage (outflow of blood) in your respiratory tract
- Runny nose
- Excessive salivation
- Damage to your tooth enamel ?
- Signs of chemical burns around your nostrils from breathing in the chlorine
