801 Crockett Street, Shreveport, Louisiana 71101
318/ 673-6655 ● FAX: 318/ 673-6656 ● www.shreveportfire.org

Kelvin J. Cochran, Fire Chief

February 20, 2002

PRESS RELEASE
To: Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer
Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Deadly Cleaning Combination Sends Two to Hospital

Shreveport firefighters, hazardous material teams, and paramedics were called out this morning to a popular South Highlands lunch spot after a worker there mixed two cleaning solutions together causing a potentially deadly combination.

Fire crews were summoned to Jason’s Deli, 5810 Line Avenue, at 7:27 a.m. after workers there discovered that Andres Tercero, 45, of Shreveport, had combined two cleaning solutions identified as bleach and Lime-A-Way, which contained Phosphoric Acid and Polyethelene Glycol.

Jason’s employee Frankie Hughes, 34, said he heard Tercero calling out his name from one of the deli’s bathrooms. When he went to investigate, Hughes sais he found Tercero on his knees and passing out. Hughes was able to get Tercero out of the room and with assistance of other employees, outside to fresh air. There were between four and six other employees in the deli at the time of the incident. Tercero and Hughes were treated by department paramedics at the scene for breathing difficulty brought on by respiritory irritability, burning eyes, and nausea. They were both transported to LSUHSC for further evaluation. Other employees complained of minor eye irritation but were not transported. The deli was operational and workers were preparing for lunch after fire crews cleaned up the products from the bathroom floor and used a large exhaust fan to clear the air.

The combination of the two mixtures, specifically the bleach and acid in Lime-A-Way, created a thermal reaction (heating up the solution) which in turn produced a poisonous Chlorine gas. The Chlorine gas can be lethal, irritating and attacking the bodies respiritory system and mucus membranes. The Shreveport Fire Department cautions against mixing any two or more cleaning products together for any purpose. The best way to know you are working with a safe product is to use only those pre-packaged, premixed product and never a combination. Additionally, the department recommends that the area where chemicals are used for cleaning also be well ventilated. ###