There was a mention that the mixture of bleach and ammonia creates mustard gas so that one should be careful not to get bleach into the black water tank because urine breaks down to ammonia and if bleach is introduced then the result is mustard gas.Is this something that RV owners really need to worry about based on the minute amount of bleach that gets into the black tank from toilet use based on the owner putting a few ounces of bleach into their 50 gallon fresh water tank to keep the RV water system sanitary?All you chemists, thank you for your insight and experience.

When we were first married, we rented an apartment. Nice place but the kitchen sink had a bad stain.I used comet or something and then had the bright idea to pour some bleach into the sink too.I' not sure how close to dying I came but I choked and so on and was out of it for the rest of the day.

Are you peeing and then pouring bleach as a chaser?You are not mixing straight ammonia and bleach.......a little bleach mixing with the water and urine (miniscule ammonia) is not going to create a cloud of mustard gas.

And, as O.B. mentioned above, it's about concentrations....and while your urine will have some ammonia, it's so diluted, that it won't do anything....Remember, it's probably about 90% water.

There is only a handful of grams of urea in each liter of urine. The urea is what is broken doen into ammonia NH3. The sodium hyperclorite (bleach) is only a small percentage Cl (actuall NaCl). The chlorene gas (not mustard) gas thenmix of the two produces is toxic. There are also some nasty nitrogen compounds produced at the same time. Bleach slowly decomposes in water, and what you smell when you smell that bleach smell is actually released Cl. As already stated, there is so little Cl and NH3 that you couldn't make enough gas to hurt a fly (litterally).

I can state this from experience:DO NOT try to sanitize a cat litter box with bleach!The ammonia in the cat urine WILL react with the bleach, it WILL fizz, and it WILL emit chlorine gas!It is NOT fun!Yes, I was damfool enough to do that!Household bleach (we have Clorox) is 6.0% sodium hypochlorite, which, according to the label, yields 5.7% chlorine.IMO, it should never be mixed with ANY amount of ammonia!Mustard gas is not involved in any way.

Mustard Gas hazard? | Good Sam Community

down_home
Explorer II
Jul 13, 2013
When we were first married, we rented an apartment. Nice place but the kitchen sink had a bad stain.
I used comet or something and then had the bright idea to pour some bleach into the sink too.
I' not sure how close to dying I came but I choked and so on and was out of it for the rest of the day.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jul 13, 2013
Are you peeing and then pouring bleach as a chaser?

You are not mixing straight ammonia and bleach.......a little bleach mixing with the water and urine (miniscule ammonia) is not going to create a cloud of mustard gas.
PapPappy
Explorer
Jul 13, 2013
And, as O.B. mentioned above, it's about concentrations....and while your urine will have some ammonia, it's so diluted, that it won't do anything....Remember, it's probably about 90% water.
adayjk
Explorer
Jul 13, 2013
There is only a handful of grams of urea in each liter of urine. The urea is what is broken doen into ammonia NH3.

The sodium hyperclorite (bleach) is only a small percentage Cl (actuall NaCl). The chlorene gas (not mustard) gas thenmix of the two produces is toxic. There are also some nasty nitrogen compounds produced at the same time.

Bleach slowly decomposes in water, and what you smell when you smell that bleach smell is actually released Cl. As already stated, there is so little Cl and NH3 that you couldn't make enough gas to hurt a fly (litterally).
mowermech
Explorer
Jul 13, 2013
I can state this from experience:
DO NOT try to sanitize a cat litter box with bleach!
The ammonia in the cat urine WILL react with the bleach, it WILL fizz, and it WILL emit chlorine gas!
It is NOT fun!
Yes, I was damfool enough to do that!

Household bleach (we have Clorox) is 6.0% sodium hypochlorite, which, according to the label, yields 5.7% chlorine.
IMO, it should never be mixed with ANY amount of ammonia!

Mustard gas is not involved in any way.
WoodGlue
Explorer
Jul 13, 2013
adayjk wrote:
There is only a handful of grams of urea in each liter of urine. The urea is what is broken doen into ammonia NH3.

The sodium hyperclorite (bleach) is only a small percentage Cl (actuall NaCl). The chlorene gas (not mustard) gas thenmix of the two produces is toxic. There are also some nasty nitrogen compounds produced at the same time.

Bleach slowly decomposes in water, and what you smell when you smell that bleach smell is actually released Cl. As already stated, there is so little Cl and NH3 that you couldn't make enough gas to hurt a fly (litterally).

Thanks, you beat me to the explaination!

WoodGlue
2oldman
Explorer II
Jul 13, 2013
Google: mix bleach and ammonia
mockturtle
Explorer II
Jul 13, 2013
Yes, mixing ammonia and chlorine bleach makes lethal chlorine gas. Don't do it. Urine is not likely a strong enough ammonia to cause a problem.
mowermech
Explorer
Jul 13, 2013
Fresh urine, no problem.
Aged urine, BIG problem!
Bobbo
Explorer II
Jul 14, 2013
Mixing bleach and ammonia doesn't make mustard gas, but it does make a lethal gas.

There is not enough ammonia in the tank to worry about.

You shouldn't be putting bleach in the tanks anyway, except for the little bit you have after you have disinfected your rig.

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