The Hidden Hazards of Household Cleaning Products
Prof. Lao Xiang-qian
The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care
Household cleaning products, such as detergents, softeners and bleaching agents, are widely used to keep our home sparkling and sweet-smelling. But while the chemicals in these cleaners make our dishes, bathtubs and tabletops gleaming and germ-free, they may also contribute to indoor air pollution, and can be harmful if inhaled or touched, especially by children.
Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the potential adverse effect from inappropriate use of household cleaning products. Overprotective parents may even use as many chemical substances as possible trying to keep their children safe and clean. Household cleaners are so commonly used in everyday life that their health impacts are an important issue in public health. In the following paragraphs, some results from my team’s research—Asia’s first comprehensive epidemiological study on the association between frequent use of household cleaners and rhinitis in Hong Kong children—will be presented.
A three-year longitudinal study by my team had been conducted since 2012 to investigate the health impacts of the usage of household cleaning products on the respiratory health of primary school children in Hong Kong. This study surveyed 2,299 pupils from 21 local primary schools from a wide geographic distribution of regions in Hong Kong. A standardized questionnaire was adopted to collect information, including weekly exposure frequency and duration of each use, of the usage of 14 types of chemical cleaning products as well as clean water at the children’s homes. The cumulative time of exposure to chemical cleaning products was then computed for each child.
Our study found that children were most often exposed to kitchen cleaners, followed by floor- and bathroom-cleaning products. Children with the highest level of exposure to chemical cleaners—tallying more than 3.2 hours per week—had a 29% higher risk of experiencing occasional rhinitis, a 97% higher risk of frequent rhinitis, and a 67% higher risk of persistent rhinitis.
Furthermore, every additional hour of exposure was associated with a 2.1% higher risk of occasional rhinitis, a 3.6% higher risk of frequent rhinitis, and a 1.2% higher risk of persistent rhinitis. As expected, no association was observed when clean water is used for daily household cleaning, which implies that the adverse effect of chemical cleaning products might have resulted from the harmful chemicals contained therein, such as propylene glycol, EDTA, and volatile organic compounds.
Rhinitis is a common respiratory disease in children. Symptoms of rhinitis include stuffy nose, sneezing, running nose, and itching eyes. Up to 50% of children are suffering from these conditions. Rhinitis may impair the quality of the children’s life as well as their school performance. In addition, according to the World Health Organization, allergies affect up to 40% of the world population and the rate is rising, with allergic rhinitis being the most common.
On the current scientific evidence, we urge parents to prevent triggering rhinitis in children by reducing their exposure to chemical cleaners at home.
A few tips:
- Avoid overuse or misuse of chemical cleaning products;
- Do the cleaning while children are away from home;
- Make sure of sufficient ventilation while using cleaning products.