Scented household sprays and products promote baby's asthma

Children regularly exposed to household chemicals are more likely to have asthma and wheezing, warn Canadian researchers. Sprays, home fragrances, detergent... What cleaning products should you be wary of?

A clean house that smells good is nice! Yes, provided you choose safe household products for toddlers. Indeed, children regularly exposed to cleaning products during the first 3 months of their life would present a higher risk of suffering the asthma - chronic bronchial disease - at the age of 3 , warn researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada in a study published on February 18, 2020 in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

To reach these conclusions, the researchers asked the parents to two 022 children complete a questionnaire about their young children's exposure to household products from birth to 3 to 4 months of age. A test was then performed on these children three years later. Results :

• Children whose parents frequently used cleaning products were 8% to suffer from asthma at the age of 3 years against 4.8% in children little exposed to household products.
• 10.8% of children regularly exposed to cleaning products during the first months of their life had wheezing at the age of three, 7.7% of children with little exposure to household products.

Our work focused on infants, who spend 80% to 90% of their time indoors. They are particularly vulnerable to chemical exposures through the lungs and skin due to their high respiratory rates and regular contact with household surfaces. ' , says Dr. Tim Takaro, lead author of the study.

Particularly dangerous sprays and perfumed products!

Avoid using spray and/or flavored products!

According to the researchers, these are the the chemicals present in these household products that would damage the respiratory mucous membranes by triggering a inflammation of the immune system subsequently resulting in asthma and wheezing. Sprayers (sprays or aerosols), disinfectants and scented products are particularly toxic to young children as they promote respiratory problems. You should also be wary of dishwashing liquid, detergent, multi-surface cleaners, window cleaners and dishwasher tablets and use them as little as possible in the presence of a young child.

Favor natural products, without phenols or allergens

In this context, the researchers made recommendations:

• Try wherever possible to limit the use of sprays (aerosols) and scented or flavored products . ' A healthy home should be odorless', they insist.
• Choose your cleaning products according to the information mentioned on the labels and prefer natural products without volatile phenols (known to pollute indoor air) and low in allergens .
• Ventilate its interior daily for at least ten minutes, summer and winter.

Besides, why not go back to healthy and raw products like White vinegar (disinfectant and cleaner) or the Marseille's soap that can also be used to wash clothes?