Evelline Paulo da Silva Lobo, a 39-year-old speech therapist from Camaçari, Bahia (Brazil), passed away on the morning of Tuesday, April 14, after experimenting with cleaning products while freshening up her bathroom.
Her demise has raised concerns about domestic risks, with her cousin Diego Steffen pleading with others not to make the same mistake as his sister “under any circumstance.”
Netizens have shared their experiences of being in similar situations as Evelline but surviving, with one comparing sanitation products to “weapons of mass destruction.”
Cleaning the bathroom proved fatal for a Brazilian woman after the chemicals created a toxic gas
Image credits: choquei
According to Steffen, Evelline inhaled toxic gas after mixing different cleaning products earlier today.
In a social media post, he said Evelline had used an excessive amount of bleach with another chemical, which created a “very strong smell at the scene.”
Evelline was “lying on the floor, holding a mop,” when Steffen arrived at the scene, per his account.
“Be very careful. You can’t mix products,” he said.
Image credits: rawpixel/freepik (not an actual photo)
In his message, he urged viewers to pass on the warning to prevent new victims of similar accidents.
According to toxicology experts cited by Newsweek, inhaling fumes released by combining agents such as acids or ammonia can cause laryngeal edema — a swelling in the throat area that blocks the airways.
Image credits: azerbaijan_stockers/freepik (not an actual photo)
In Evelline’s case, the blockage led to cardiac arrest, from which she did not recover.
According to a Bahia State Health Department report, the region has recorded a total of 244 cases of hazardous exposure to cleaning products since the beginning of the year.
Social media users noted that combining cleaning solutions is a common practice
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection/freepik (not an actual photo)
“I almost passed out once while cleaning the bathroom because I made a crazy mix. I stayed lying there for an hour,” one wrote.
Another added, “I almost died too when I mixed bleach with water in a closed bathroom.”
“Never mix bleach with other products!” a third warned.
“Gotta be careful, folks,” a fourth noted, while a fifth added a light-hearted comment, saying, “That’s why I don’t clean the house.”
“I once left the bathroom suffocating, running to grab a glass of milk. The elders say it helps, so I did it,” another user said.
Image credits: choquei
To avoid such incidents, experts suggest carefully reading the instructions on product labels and following them strictly, as well as wearing protective equipment such as gloves and masks when handling them.
A case similar to Evelline’s was recorded in the UK in 2020
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Celia Seymour, 34, was cleaning the bathroom of her Feltham, Surrey home on July 19 of that year.
Her boss and friend, Peter Seferi, noticed a “powerful” bleach smell when he arrived to meet her.
The two went outside to chat.
Image credits: pixel-shot/freepik (not an actual photo)
Minutes later, Seymour began having trouble breathing and collapsed, prompting Seferi to call an ambulance and perform CPR.
Seymour passed away four days later in the hospital.
Image credits: wayhomestudio/freepik (not an actual photo)
Her mother, Julie Felon, from Essex, said fire services confirmed that Celia had mixed bleach with toilet cleaner, producing a toxic gas that triggered a severe asthma attack.
“I am still in a state of disbelief,” she said. “I can’t believe she has gone. She was only just starting her life, and it was taken away from her.”
Image credits: choquei
Seymour was the manager of Atlantico Hand Car Wash in Betchworth, Surrey.
Mr. Seferi has since renamed the business Celia’s Hand Car Wash in tribute, sharing that he even created a memorial book for her at the establishment.
“She was wonderful,” he said, adding that he has not been able to “come to terms” with her loss.
“When my first child was born, it was me and her who went to collect my wife and son. She was like my right-hand person,” he noted.
“What sad news and what an important warning,” a netizen said about Evelline’s case
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