Terrified about fire extinguisher chemicals

ladyexlibris · January 2016

This may be a long post.

I have always struggled with anxiety and OCD. Now my baby is almost 2 weeks old and I'm suffering from PPD.

The other night, there was a grease fire in my kitchen and my husband used an ABC chemical fire extinguisher on it. He cleaned it up, but I have since researched the chemical and it seems to be highly toxic. He should have worn a mask and gloves while cleaning.

I am now terrified. I feel like the residue from the powder is all over my kitchen in the cabinets, and in the rest of the house. I feel like everything needs to be thrown away. The more I think about it, the worse it gets. I'm extremely worried the baby breathed some after my husband sprayed, and I'm terrified that some residue in the kitchen will end up on her bottles or dishes. I'm imagining the powder drifted through the rest of the house and is settled into our couch, clothes and beds.

I've called every fire department in my region, and get the same vague answers. Yes, it's considered toxic, no it probably won't hurt you as long as you cleaned it up, your baby is fine, I wouldn't worry about it, if you're concerned, just wash your dishes.

I've called poison control, the extinguisher manufacturer (of course they would say it's safe). No one can really tell me anything.

I'm worrying myself sick over this. I can't eat, I've just been drinking ensure to get my calories in for breastfeeding. I can't sleep, and I'm up all night with the baby anyway. I can't go more than a few minutes without thinking about it and my husband and family are tired of hearing me worry, because they all think it's safe. They tell me the government wouldn't allow a product that dangerous to be used in people's homes (false). I feel like they are blind and naive. I feel like I'm the only one who cares about our safety. I'm so afraid I, my husband and my baby will get cancer from this.

I can't walk into my kitchen without being afraid. I haven't been eating food from it. I don't know how I will ever be able to cook in there again.

The only solution to the problem is to move, but that's not an option. My husband won't consider it.

I'm not really sure what to do at this point. I have an appointment with a therapist today.

What would you all do if this happened to you? Would you be concerned about the chemicals? I'm aware that i am overreacting, but do I at least have some rational reason to be freaking out like this?

Bigboobsmcgee · January 2016

OP, this post makes me sad for you. Not in a "I feel sorry for you" sort of way but I've been in this frantic state you are in so I can relate. I experienced it after my 2nd child and at 6 weeks postpartum I got put on medication. It saved my sanity.

First off, you have to use all of your will power to stay strong for your new baby. Keep in mind that these panicked thoughts are from your hormones and PPD. NOTHING is going to happen from using the fire extinguisher. You are panicking and not thinking straight. No one is going to get cancer. This is all in your head.

I truly hope you get the help you need because it sounds like you are in a really bad state of mind and it will not improve if you don't get help.

Lastly, you HAVE to eat. Don't just drink ensure, but EAT. Whether you are hungry or not. You cannot heal from having a baby and think straight if your blood sugar is low. Please, please eat something.

Disneygeek77 · January 2016

I guess it depends on what you mean by rational. Could I relate after I had a baby, yes of course. Can I relate now that I am a few years removed from that situation? No. I understand what you are talking about and I went through the same thing, but again now that I am a few years removed from that, I can understand what I was experiencing was a combination of depression, grief, PTSD and intrusive thoughts.

My story is a bit different. My first child was born with three heart defects and defects in her trachea and duodenum. She was born at 32 weeks and survived for about 4 months before she passed away after having heart surgery. We talked to Drs and genetic counselors and they assured us that this is just one of those things that happens. I wasn't convinced. I was sure that I did something wrong and that her birth defects were environmentally caused. I wanted to tear down our deck because I thought it had pressure treated wood and one day I must have walked out there with my bare feet and that caused her birth defects, I stopped using cooking spray because I didn't know what was in the propellant, I wanted to have our house tested for radon, we almost installed a very expensive water filtering system. I felt like a germaphobe but with chemicals. I saw chemicals and toxins everywhere just like a person might see germs everywhere. It got to the point that I was having trouble with everyday functions. I was put on medicine and I started to see a counselor. I also kept a worry journal where I would take all of my fears out of my mind and put them on paper. I would also go over past entries and that really helped to put my fears into perspective. I would think " Hmmm, that's right. I was really worried about that a few months ago and now I am not. I suppose my current worry will go away too." It took a while and having a healthy child for me to feel better. I know I still have chemical and health anxieties, but they aren't nearly as bad.

Having been through that myself, I can recognize the same in you that your thoughts are not rational at this time. Yes, there are toxins in the extinguisher, but people simply don't wear protective gear when they used them, they just don't. You have to know this deep down. People use them every day, all the time and they don't buy new houses because of it. Do your best to clean, but at a certain point you will have to move on. As hard as that will be, it is what is best for your state of mind. Another thing that helped me was instead of googling toxins or teratogens or symptoms of cancer, I instead started to google cyber/ hyperchondria, postpartum depression and intrusive thoughts. So whenever I got the obsessive urge to look up a chemical or a symptom I was feeling, I would try to understand my thought process more instead.

Also please know you are not alone. Many women experience these obsessive thoughts after having a baby. HAving a history of depression, anxiety and OCD can make it worse too. I remember about a year ago there was a mom here asking about bugs. She just had a baby and became absolutely obsessed with bugs being in her home. She said she would spend hours on forums and google researching bugs. She would also constantly be unscrewing her switchplates and looking for evidence of bugs in her walls. One time she found a small black dot on the wall by the plug and posted a pic of it on a forum. One woman said it could possibly, maybe, kinda, sorta, might be fecal matter from bugs. The mom lost it. Wanted to stay in a hotel, wanted to move, wanted to tear out the dry wall. We told her the same thing. These intrusive thoughts sometimes happen and she needed to talk to someone as it was affecting her everyday life. A few months later she was back but this time she was obsessed with MRSA. Again, please know you are not alone. I myself became obsessed with chemicals and toxins. At that time, I would rather roll around in a dumpster than come in contact with chemicals. I am glad you are seeing a therapist and will have someone to talk to about this. Good luck.

borgie05 · July 2016

Awe I definitely feel for you. I am currently suffering from postpartum OCD and honestly I can understand where you are coming from as it would probably make me freak out too (I have a hard time with germs and chemicals). BUT since I'm not in the situation (so I'm not triggered currently) my rational mind says it's going to be ok. It sounds like your husband cleaned everything up. I'm sure there is very little (if any) residue left, so little that I'm sure it won't do any harm. Remember that people use fire extinguishers all the time and they don't wear protective gear. I have never heard of anyone getting cancer from these. As long as you aren't straight up huffing or eating the chemicals straight from the extinguisher or from the surface before it was cleaned up by your husband, I'm sure there will be no harm. Now if you are really concerned, maybe just wash all the dishes and do a deep clean of the areas that you feel are contaminated. It's not necessary as there is no risk, but it may make you feel better. Although that is technically a ritual (performing rituals actually adds fuel to the fire) and so if there is anything you can do to take your mind off of it altogether until you feel ok, then do it. Big hugs!!! Everything will be ok, promise!

borgie05 · July 2016

Just realized the post was from January (should have looked at the date, oops!) OP, I hope you are feeling better by now and this has passed!

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