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Is Plastic Smell In House After Boiling Pacis Poisonous?
Posted on
Mon, 8 Feb 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 8 Feb 2016
Answered on
Wed, 30 Mar 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : My husband was boiling my son's pacis this morning before work to sterilize them. I thought he turned them off before leaving, but he didnt. I was in our bedroom with my son on the other side of the house, and more than an hour after he left i turned off the TV and heard a faint beeping sound. I ran to the kitchen and the pacis were meltef to the bottom of the pan and there was smoke coming out. I turned on the vent fan and opened all of our doors (our windows wont open). My son and i were inside for about 30 minutes on the other end of the house while i aired it out, but now we're outside. Parts of the house still smell like plastic. Im worried about the toxic fume exposure. What are the risks? The pacis are BPA free but im not sure if that makes a difference since we breathed them in.
Brief Answer:
It would be preferable to stay out of the house for a couple of hours
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
On getting heated on a kitchen heater/stove, carbon monoxide is unlikely to be produced and so carbon monoxide poisoning would not be the major cause of concern. The plastic molecules would have disintegrated and release a large number of chemical compounds in the air. That is the reason your house smells of plastic. Suffocation was a primary concern that should have already come in control. Allergic reactions are another aspect to look out for. Unless you or your child have respiratory distress or coughing, I do not think that there is any other specific short term implication. It is hard to comment on the long term implications but with such a short exposure I would not insist you to get worried. Its effect should not be worse from that of a lifetime of exposure to pollution.
If possible, stay out of the house for a couple of hours. Let the ventilation occur and you should come back to find things fine back again.
Let me know if I could help further.
Regards
It would be preferable to stay out of the house for a couple of hours
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
On getting heated on a kitchen heater/stove, carbon monoxide is unlikely to be produced and so carbon monoxide poisoning would not be the major cause of concern. The plastic molecules would have disintegrated and release a large number of chemical compounds in the air. That is the reason your house smells of plastic. Suffocation was a primary concern that should have already come in control. Allergic reactions are another aspect to look out for. Unless you or your child have respiratory distress or coughing, I do not think that there is any other specific short term implication. It is hard to comment on the long term implications but with such a short exposure I would not insist you to get worried. Its effect should not be worse from that of a lifetime of exposure to pollution.
If possible, stay out of the house for a couple of hours. Let the ventilation occur and you should come back to find things fine back again.
Let me know if I could help further.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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