Half a bottle of unclogging agent was poured in one breath, and the sewer exploded

Reporter Zhu Yao

Instruction cards for the use of pipe unclogging agents in Zhang Zhiwei's shop

"Half a bottle was poured, and it kept bubbling, and then it exploded with a 'bang.'" Recalling the accident that happened last month, Ms. Huang still has palpitations.

Recently, Ms. Huang, who opened a homestay in Jiande, suffered a moment of horror. After the incident, Ms. Huang rushed to the hospital for treatment, and was diagnosed with burns to the left cornea and conjunctiva, "almost blind." ”

A "bang" sound

Corneal and conjunctival burns

"Almost blind"

In 2018, Ms. Huang opened a homestay in Jiande. The location is not far from the wetland, which attracts a large number of photography enthusiasts.

In order to save costs, Ms. Huang undertook the cleaning of the homestay herself. "Unlike ordinary residential buildings, the sewers here need to be cleared by professional workers every month or two, which is a big expense every time." Ms. Huang decided to buy her own pipe dredging agent to dredge, and when she used it a few times before, "it felt pretty good, cheap and fast."

One day in early December last year, she was horrified by the wrong way of using it— "I poured half a bottle down the sewer, saw it bubbling, and then 'banged' it." I felt a pain in my eyes. "The baby, who was just 15 months old, was still in the bedroom, crying in horror from the explosion.

Ms. Huang and her husband drove to the hospital more than ten kilometers away. Along the way, Ms. Huang was worried and scared, "I won't just be blind like this."

When I arrived at the hospital emergency room, the doctor's examination and diagnosis were burns to the left cornea and conjunctiva. "Fortunately, it is not serious, but there will be scars on the eyelids." The doctor's words made her breathe a sigh of relief, "If you had gotten any closer, you might have been blind." ”

After returning home, Ms. Huang and her husband carefully reviewed the instructions for the use of pipe unclogging agents. Pouring half a bottle at a time and using too much dose were the main causes of the accident, and during the whole process, Ms. Huang did not wear gloves, masks and glasses to do the corresponding safety protection. Although I knew the correct way to use it, this accident still left a psychological shadow on Ms. Huang.

There are burns and there are also accidental ingestion

50 requests for help were received across the country in a year

What is a pipe dredger? Before use, will you carefully check the instructions to understand the correct way to use?

It is understood that there are more common pipe dredger brands on the market, which can be roughly divided into three categories: liquid, block and powder, and most of the main components of pipe dredgers are sodium hydroxide and aluminum powder. As a strong alkaline substance, sodium hydroxide can chemically react with common dirt such as water, grease, and hair to alleviate clogging. Solid sodium hydroxide dissolves in contact with water and exothermically, and reacts with aluminum powder to produce a large amount of gas. However, using the wrong method may result in splashing of liquids and gases, burning the skin, eyes, hair and other parts.

In fact, it is not uncommon for accidents caused by improper use of pipeline dredgers, and e-commerce platforms often receive help from consumers. In seeking help, consumers often demand full responsibility from the merchant. "But in the actual processing, it is often difficult for the platform to judge who is right and who is wrong, and can only coordinate in the middle." Xia Su, an e-commerce customer service, said that last year, he received 50 requests for help from all over the country.

In March last year, Mr. Yin's 15-month-old daughter accidentally ate a powdered pipe unclogging agent placed on the coffee table. Mr. Yin, who was impatient, quickly poured water for his daughter and took it with water. Who would have thought that the pipe dredger would have a chemical reaction in contact with water, releasing a lot of heat and causing harm to the child. Improper treatment, the child has been hurt twice. After 5 days of PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) rescue, Mr. Yin's daughter was finally out of danger.

"There are very few consumers who can really read the instructions and precautions." Guangzhou seller Zhang Zhiwei (pseudonym) began to clean the daily chemical business in 2003, after more than ten years of operation, his products have covered tens of thousands of offline supermarkets across the country. In the industry, he often hears of cases of consumer injuries due to improper use. For example, some consumers fail to use the correct dosage, or because they have not cleaned up for a long time, the reaction after pouring pipe unclogging agent may be more intense, which is easy to produce splashes and cause accidents.

Zhang Zhiwei said that after the accident, some consumers will blame the product itself. In the face of similar complaints, manufacturers are also very helpless.

"Don't look close to the mouth of the pipe"

Manufacturers upgrade safety tips, and the platform makes consumption reminders

In order to avoid safety accidents, in recent years, pipeline dredger manufacturers, merchants and some e-commerce platforms have continued to popularize the correct use of pipeline dredgers in various ways.

"In addition to the safety tips on the product labels, the pipe unclogging agent orders shipped by Taobao, we are equipped with customized reminder cards." Zhang Zhiwei said.

In order to avoid curious consumers observing the chemical reaction, Zhang Zhiwei specially added 9 huge exclamation points to the prompt card, indicating "Do not look close to the mouth of the pipeline".

Not only that, Zhang Zhiwei also upgraded the ordinary bottle cap to a pharmaceutical bottle cap that is not easy for children to unscrew. Every once in a while, Zhang Zhiwei will meet with the factory to discuss whether to improve the production process and upgrade the safety tips.

Qianjiang Evening News Hourly News reporters looked at a number of e-commerce platforms and found that the Taobao platform has launched related consumption reminders. On the detail page of pipeline dredging agent, pipe dredging powder and other products, the official consumption tips have been uniformly added: corrosive goods should be properly stored, beware of children's touch; if accidentally ingested, please seek medical attention immediately, do not rinse with water to avoid aggravating burns.

"Some consumers called the platform customer service and said that they had caused burns due to improper use." Xiao Er of the Alibaba Platform Governance Department revealed, "We added a reminder on the product page. ”

When using pipe unclogging agents, what should I do if I encounter an emergency?

Dr. Zhang Weiyan of the Emergency Department of Xiaoshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, suggested that if it is a small-scale hand burn, rinse with flowing water at the first time, disinfect it with iodine or alcohol, and then apply ointment or go to the hospital according to the burn. If you accidentally eat and swallow the pipe unclogging agent, this may cause oral, esophageal, and gastric damage, and serious damage will lead to gastric perforation, and it is necessary to treat scientifically and seek medical treatment in time. "If there is obvious discomfort, or if it splashes into the eyes, it is recommended to go to the nearest hospital immediately."

(Qianjiang Evening News)