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What Causes Chemical Taste In The Mouth After Getting Contact With Bleach On The Skin?
When in the toilet I got a bit of bleach on my hand, immediately I got it under a cold water tap and just carried on my normal day. At around 8:00 I noticed a kind of chemical taste in my mouth. I just wanted to know if it s urgent a and e action I need or will it be okay. I washed it off straight away when I first got contact and I may through the day bit at skin or picked at it, I used some mouthwash and drank some milk but I m worried I ll become sick, do I need help
Mon, 21 Jan 2019
Hello,
In my view, there is nothing to be worried about. The bleach came in contact with skin, and it is not possible to absorb bleach into the body via skin. However, the metallic or chemical taste you experienced is likely to be caused by the inhalation of fumes that come out of the bleach, when it is used in ill-ventilated or closed area. Those fumes, may not be visible but can cause irritation to the mucosa of mouth and throat. That requires no treatment, and will resolve by itself in few hours.
In addition, always be careful in using cleaning agents like bleach, read the instructions provided with the product, keep away from children and pet, avoid using cleaning agents in close or ill-ventilated areas, and handle such substances using rubber gloves.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Ayesha Shareef,
General & Family Physician
In my view, there is nothing to be worried about. The bleach came in contact with skin, and it is not possible to absorb bleach into the body via skin. However, the metallic or chemical taste you experienced is likely to be caused by the inhalation of fumes that come out of the bleach, when it is used in ill-ventilated or closed area. Those fumes, may not be visible but can cause irritation to the mucosa of mouth and throat. That requires no treatment, and will resolve by itself in few hours.
In addition, always be careful in using cleaning agents like bleach, read the instructions provided with the product, keep away from children and pet, avoid using cleaning agents in close or ill-ventilated areas, and handle such substances using rubber gloves.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Ayesha Shareef,
General & Family Physician
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