Mixing household cleaners stirs up dangerous fumes

Fumes from common household cleaners and other irritants used inoffices and homes prompt an estimated 60,000 people a year to phonepoison control centers for help, according to a new study byUniversity of Calfornia researchers.

Mixing bleach with tile cleaners or with ammonia was the mostcommon cause of the irritating fumes, reported Paul Blanc, assistantprofessor of medicine at the University of California at SanFrancisco and his colleagues in the Aug. 7 issue of the Journal ofthe American Medical Association.

"People should pay careful attention to warning labels whenusing household products," Blanc said. Nearly half of those exposedto chlorine bleach fumes …