By Bob Livingston
If you use simple, natural cleaners, keeping your house clean is helping you stay healthy by reducing your exposure to dust, mold and bacteria. But if you're using chemical cleaners the risks might outweigh the benefits.
These cleaners contain harsh agents like bleach, ammonia, chlorine and 2-butoxyethanol, which have a negative effect on your health, especially your lungs.
A recent study published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that using chemical cleaners long-term could damage your lungs just as much as smoking.
The 20-year study included over 6,000 people who received lung function measurements and completed questionnaires about their cleaning habits.
Men and women who cleaned a lot ended up with respiratory health problems. Men who cleaned at home were more likely to have asthma. But women got the worst end of the stick in this scenario. Women who worked as cleaners or cleaned regularly at home damaged their lungs just as bad as if they had smoked 20 cigarettes per day for 10 to 20 years.
Researchers tested their lung function by seeing how much air study participants could breathe out. And after 20 years of regular cleaning, ladies had the lung function of heavy smokers.
A 2017 study from Harvard University and French National Institute of Health and Medical Research found that using bleach and other disinfectants weekly increases your risk of COPD by 30 percent. COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is an inflammatory lung disease that makes it hard to breathe.
You might recognize the two most common types, emphysema and bronchitis.
Harsh cleaning products are terrible for lung function because the chemicals irritate the lungs' delicate mucous membranes. If you irritate these mucous membranes frequently and long enough, it eventually damages your lungs and causes your airways to narrow, making it difficult to breathe.
Alternatives to chemical cleaners
Most of the time a microfiber cloth and some water will do the trick. My wife uses vinegar to clean nearly everything, and it's exceptional by itself. If you want something more powerful, there are many of natural cleaners on the market, but they're expensive. So you can make your own...
These cleaners contain harsh agents like bleach, ammonia, chlorine and 2-butoxyethanol, which have a negative effect on your health, especially your lungs.
A recent study published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that using chemical cleaners long-term could damage your lungs just as much as smoking.
The 20-year study included over 6,000 people who received lung function measurements and completed questionnaires about their cleaning habits.
Men and women who cleaned a lot ended up with respiratory health problems. Men who cleaned at home were more likely to have asthma. But women got the worst end of the stick in this scenario. Women who worked as cleaners or cleaned regularly at home damaged their lungs just as bad as if they had smoked 20 cigarettes per day for 10 to 20 years.
Researchers tested their lung function by seeing how much air study participants could breathe out. And after 20 years of regular cleaning, ladies had the lung function of heavy smokers.
A 2017 study from Harvard University and French National Institute of Health and Medical Research found that using bleach and other disinfectants weekly increases your risk of COPD by 30 percent. COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is an inflammatory lung disease that makes it hard to breathe.
You might recognize the two most common types, emphysema and bronchitis.
Harsh cleaning products are terrible for lung function because the chemicals irritate the lungs' delicate mucous membranes. If you irritate these mucous membranes frequently and long enough, it eventually damages your lungs and causes your airways to narrow, making it difficult to breathe.
Alternatives to chemical cleaners
Most of the time a microfiber cloth and some water will do the trick. My wife uses vinegar to clean nearly everything, and it's exceptional by itself. If you want something more powerful, there are many of natural cleaners on the market, but they're expensive. So you can make your own...
- You can mix nine parts water with one part vinegar for a natural all-purpose cleaner.
- For any countertop that can't take anything acidic being put on it, like granite, use a mixture of alcohol, natural dishsoap, essential oil and water.
- You can mix 2 cups of water with 1/4 teaspoon of tea-tree oil and lavender oil for an easy DIY mildew remover.
- My colleague Dr. Mark Wiley recommends mixing baking soda and water for a kitchen cleaner that washes dishes, cleans counters and stovetops. Just add four tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of warm water.
No comments:
Post a Comment