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Exposure to cleaning products in first 3 months of life can increase risk of childhood asthma:
New research from the CHILD Cohort Study[*] shows that frequent exposure to common household cleaning products can increase a child's risk of developing asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease and is the primary reason why children miss school or end up in hospital.
The study was published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It found that young infants (birth to three months) living in homes where household cleaning products were used frequently were more likely to develop childhood wheeze and asthma by three years of age.
"Most of the available evidence linking asthma to the use of cleaning products comes from research in adults," said the study's lead researcher, Dr. Tim Takaro, a professor and clinician- scientist in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University (SFU). "Our study looked at infants, who typically spend 80-90% of their time indoors and are especially vulnerable to chemical exposures through the lungs and skin due to their higher respiration rates and regular contact with household surfaces."
[...] "Interestingly, we did not find an association between the use of cleaning products and a risk of atopy alone," noted Dr. Takaro. "Therefore, a proposed mechanism underlying these findings is that chemicals in cleaning products damage the cells that line the respiratory tract through innate inflammatory pathways rather than acquired allergic pathways."
"We also found that at age three, the relationship between product exposure and respiratory problems was much stronger in girls than boys," he added. "This is an interesting finding that requires more research to better understand male versus female biological responses to inflammatory exposures in early life."
The study used data from 2,022 children participating in the CHILD Cohort Study and examined their daily, weekly and monthly exposure to 26 types of household cleaners, including dishwashing and laundry detergents, cleaners, disinfectants, polishes, and air fresheners.
"The risks of recurrent wheeze and asthma were notably higher in homes with frequent use of certain products, such as liquid or solid air fresheners, plug-in deodorizers, dusting sprays, antimicrobial hand sanitizers and oven cleaners," commented the paper's lead author, Jaclyn Parks, a graduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU. "It may be important for people to consider removing scented spray cleaning products from their cleaning routine. We believe that the smell of a healthy home is no smell at all."
[*] CHILD Cohort Study web site.
Journal References:
- Elissa M. Abrams. "Cleaning products and asthma risk: a potentially important public health concern", CMAJ (DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.200025)
- Jaclyn Parks, Lawrence McCandless, Christoffer Dharma, Jeffrey Brook, Stuart E. Turvey, Piush Mandhane, Allan B. Becker, Anita L. Kozyrskyj, Meghan B. Azad, Theo J. Moraes, Diana L. Lefebvre, Malcolm R. Sears, Padmaja Subbarao, James Scott and Tim K. Takaro. "Association of use of cleaning products with respiratory health in a Canadian birth cohort", CMAJ (DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.190819)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 20 2020, @02:12PM (8 children)
It really is a struggle to find cleaners that don't they make a ton of fumes.
Bleach is one of the worst along with oven cleaner and toilet cleaners.
I have been using Method brand spray cleaner for hard countertops. It's pretty weak stuff, but usually gets the job done, and has no fumes. Method bathroom cleaner is good for soap scum and general bathroom cleaning. It's a stronger cleaner but still no fumes. I have been using Clorox GreenWorks for toilets. You have to let it sit in the toilet bowl for several minutes as opposed to the stronger cleaners that only take 30 seconds. But it gets the job done.
For cleaning windows, unfortunately I have not found anything better than ammonia containing products like Windex.
The obvious tip when using strong chemicals is of course to throw open the damn windows. And leave them open for a long time afterwards.
(Score: 2) by Snospar on Thursday February 20 2020, @02:22PM
Just use a steam cleaner. No nasty cleaning agents required.
Huge thanks to all the Soylent volunteers without whom this community (and this post) would not be possible.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Immerman on Thursday February 20 2020, @02:50PM (1 child)
Vinegar and water work wonders. And just a little cornstarch mixed in makes for streak-free window cleaning (don't ask me why that works). Acid can bleach some surfaces, so test someplace discrete before using, but mostly it works wonderfully. A drop or two of essential oil in a spray bottle's worth can add a much more natural fresh scent, and the vinegar odor fades rapidly.
Ammonia (a base) is good for cutting heavy grease, but acid works pretty well on almost everything else.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday February 21 2020, @03:21AM
I haven't tried cornstarch in it, but vinegar was the only thing that got the film-of-ancient-days off my windows. Windex just made a smeary mess. Soap didn't cut it. Vinegar took it right off.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Thursday February 20 2020, @11:09PM
One of the very best, no noxious fumes, inexpensive, easy to acquire: hot water.
(Score: 2) by RedIsNotGreen on Friday February 21 2020, @12:55AM (1 child)
just water is enough for almost everything. vinegar and bronners when you really need it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @03:00AM
You obviously don't have children or dogs.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday February 21 2020, @03:19AM
Just use straight vinegar. Does a good job on most dirt and grease, and dissolves the hard water residue that makes stuff look grubby even when it's clean.
Simple Green smells wretched, but it works almost as good as oven cleaner.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ledow on Friday February 21 2020, @09:40AM
I am the absolute opposite of some vegan, eco-friendly hippy.
But there's a brand of bathroom cleaner that I love - it's mostly just a detergent and water, but it smells of almond (marzipan, etc.) and it just cleans and it's supposed to be all plant-based.
"YOU Bathroom Cleaner" it's called. It's not volatile, it's probably no stronger than a bit of soap, but it's good enough to clean generally.
Someone gave me one and I loved the smell and buy packs of them now to keep in the bathroom.
It doesn't need to be bleach-based, or hand-made from vinegar, to clean well enough, smell good enough, and not be obscenely odorous.