Poisonous vapors when cleaning: Fire brigade use in Bad Homburg!

Poisonous vapors when cleaning: Fire brigade use in Bad Homburg!

On May 6, 2025, a damaged incident occurred in Bad Homburg, which put the local fire brigade and police on alert. A 26-year-old obviously wanted to clean his bed and used a cleaning agent, the vapors of which led him and his roommate to respiratory tract irritation. These were then taken to the hospital while a neighbor noticed the chemical smell and the fire brigade alerted. The rescue operation also required that another eight residents of the apartment building left the building until the apartment could be ventilated. Police chief commissioner David Ausbüttel said that it was probably an insecticide that was not approved in Germany to combat mites. Against the young man is now being investigated for negligent bodily harm.

In the past two years, the intensive cleaning of offices, sports studios and private households has increased, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these measures, which originally served to prevent the transmission of germs, bacteria and viruses, also result in health risks. A current study in the journal Science Advances Can get airways. These particles are comparable to the health risks of inhaling auto exhaust gases in urban areas and can cause serious respiratory diseases.

Health risks from cleaning agents

A Norwegian long -term study in 2018 found that people who clean regularly have a weaker lung function. Cleaning staff in particular are affected by these effects because they have a higher risk of death compared to office workers. This could be due to the fact that private individuals are often less informed about security measures. The use of cleaning agents, especially those with citrus or pinie scent, releases volatile organic compounds (VOC) that can cause health problems such as sensory irritation, headache and organ damage.

In a test room, it was found that users of a monoterpen-based cleaner inhale around 30 to 40 micrograms of primary VOC per minute while cleaning. In addition, 0.1 to 0.7 micrograms of secondary organic aerosols are added, which can also be harmful to health. With increasing concentration of the pollutants in the room air, the potential for health risks is significant. The exposure indoors, especially during pandemic, could continue to increase due to increased chemical disinfections.

In order to minimize the risk of respiratory diseases, experts recommend wearing gloves while cleaning and ensuring good ventilation of the rooms. An intelligent ventilation could help reduce the accumulation of pollutants and thus significantly improve air quality. These precautions are particularly important because little is known about the toxicological profile of these particles indoors.

Reporting on the incident in Bad Homburg and the health risks of cleaning agents show how important it is to pay attention to safety when cleaning and to be aware of the potential dangers. Numerous households should become aware of the risks to protect their own health and those of their roommates.