All employees should be trained properly in the handling of cleaning chemicals. Toxic gases may be produced when bleach is mixed with ammonia or a phosphoric acid cleaner. Chloramine, the gas created from the mixing of bleach and ammonia, releases ammonia, hydrochloric acid and dangerous oxygen-free molecules into the lungs. 
     Reporting on a case in the New England Journal of Medicine, physicians at Phoenix’s Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center say, when inhaled in small doses, the gases resulting from mixing these products can cause lung irritation, sore throats, headaches and difficulty in breathing. In large doses, the gas can be deadly. 
     Even people in optimal health can die from the combination of alkaline-based and acidic-based products. 
     Cleaning employees seldom need to mix any products. There are specialized solutions for virtually every cleaning task. 
     Due to the severe nature of the chemicals dealt with in the cleaning industry, the following measures should be taken to assure the safe handling of chemicals by all employees: 
1. Establish policies to educate new or untrained workers about the potential dangers of mixing chemicals as well as providing supervision for employees whose judgment may be impaired. 
2. If chlorine gas is accidentally released, evacuate all areas in which the gases could circulate until there has been sufficient time for ventilation. Only reopen the area after the gas has been completely eliminated. If employees are involved in the cleanup of the chemicals, make sure they wear protective respiratory equipment and do not enter the area alone. 
3. When using any chemicals, even those that are considered “safe,” make sure that adequate ventilation is provided so you do not breathe in too many fumes. 
4. Do not mix any cleaning products, especially those containing bleach. Mixing two common household cleaners proved deadly for a Meridian, ID, woman recently. 
     Anette Fuhriman died November 1 after spending four months in an acute-care facility for the damage caused by mixing chlorine with a lime removal product while cleaning her bathroom in June.