Scientific work continues and resembles each other: air pollution is a real plague for the maturing respiratory system, and therefore particularly fragile, of children. Outdoor air of course, with automobile pollution (it would cause up to 4 million cases of childhood asthma per year worldwide; in Europe, air pollution is responsible in a third of cases). But what about the air we breathe inside our homes?
This is what Canadian researchers wanted to know, who publish their results in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. To do this, they studied the data supplemented by the parents of a cohort of 2,022 children, exposed to household products from their birth until the age of 3 or 4 months. These children were then assessed at their 3 years of age to determine if they suffered from asthma, recurrent wheezing or atopy (allergic sensitization). Three-quarters of the children had never been exposed to cigarette smoke and their parents did not have asthma (65%).
Most vulnerable
As a result, researchers have established an association between early exposure to household products and the development of childhood asthma and wheezing (but not atopy). The risk of respiratory problems was increased by the use of perfumed and sprayed cleaning products. “Infants, who spend 80-90% of their time indoors, are particularly vulnerable to exposure to chemicals, which reach their lungs and skin, due to their higher respiration rate and regular contact with household surfaces ”, explain the authors of the study.
Among the household products most frequently used by the parents of the children studied: “dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent, multi-surface cleaners, window and laundry cleaners”. Suffice to say: almost all types of cleaners or detergents. In order to reduce the exposure of children, the authors recommend favoring household products without volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and those which are not in the form of sprays.
But very often, manufacturers do not shine with their transparency on the exact composition of their products. A situation denounced in France by 60 million consumers, who has been campaigning for a few months for the creation of a “Ménag’Score”, inspired by the Nutri-Score. In the meantime, you can also decide to make your own household products, to preserve the respiratory system of the youngest.
Picato: update on the risk of skin cancer
Source: Destination Santé
–
