A Spanish study involving more than 3500 people has determined that there is an increased risk of adults developing asthma from the use of household cleaning products (now that is the truth!). The study was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The study found that using household cleaning sprays and air fresheners as little as once a week raised the risk of asthma in adults. The risk of developing asthma increased with frequency of cleaning and the number of different sprays used.
The report from the BBC News indicated that the heavy use of such products has already been linked with occupational asthma, but this study indicates that the occasional use of chemical sprays in the home is also a threat for those who are susceptible to respiratory illness.
The type of products that tend to cause these problems include furniture polish (such as Mr. Sheen) and window sprays (such as Windex).
Personally, I would also add the use of mould killers and fly sprays because these can also have an effect upon the development of asthma within the home.
At this stage it is not known what irritants are the cause of the development of respiratory symptoms.
Chemicals at home and at work can have an effect upon anyone who has respiratory sensitivity. This is something that to me is not new, since I have had reactions to Mr. Sheen, Windex, and Mortein fly spray, as well as to the most popular mould killer. In the case of the mould killer it was the strength of the chlorine in the product and the fact that it was being sprayed in tiny droplets that was the cause of my distress. When this happened to my, my upper airway passages would block off, and I could not breathe unless I had something over my face. I have also reacted to paint fumes, methylated spirits and similar products. On the other hand, I have not had such a severe reaction when using the pump sprays. Another product that I would add to the mix is hair spray, since this can also cause allergy in a highly sensitive person.
Obviously there is work to be done in identifying the irritants, but at least now there is a study that proves what I have said for more than 30 years regarding cleaning products and other chemicals in the home – they are responsible for my respiratory reactions.
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October 20, 2007 at 2:35 am
I had asthma as a kid and fully got over it by playing a wind instrument – the clarinet. Since my teens I have never had it. I think the clarinet strengthened my lungs. I would recomend playing a wind instrument because of what it did for me. Just recently I came across an interesting article on the BBC titled “Housework ‘can cause asthma” . Read this, it may help to know how it can be triggered.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/health/7041182.stm
If you need information on identifying toxic products in you home you can visit my website
http://toxin-free-home.com
I hope this helps.
Errold
October 20, 2007 at 5:25 am
Hi Errol,
you will find that I have used the same story to create my blog story. I know what products caused my problem and I use them sparingly, if at all. Also, I know what triggered my condition in the first place. It was exposure to the toxins in fly spray.
I do not have asthma at the present time. Now that I have moved back to Canberra there is an increased risk because of the high pollen count.
The best way to avoid the asthma from house cleaning products is to avoid cleaning the house.
October 23, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Um ok get this…i work in a casino..smoked filled…poor ventalation when crowded…and i was cleaning using a Windex type product… i guess i sprayed too near an asmatic woman and she asked me to stop. Question…. would my cleaning product be worse for her than that second hand smoke?
October 23, 2007 at 7:30 pm
That is a good question Molly. If it was me, then I would not be in the Casino in the first place because any second hand smoke would cause headaches, and affect my ability to breathe. My upper air passages become blocked.
If you faced this situation and you did spray something like Windex and the person asked you to stop, then you have a responsibility to stop using the product.
When I was at my worst due to these allergies, I had an experience where my car needed to be cleaned because my middle son had puked in the car, and it had that smell about it. I went to a carwash place and the people who did the car used Windex. On the way back to work the fumes affected me so much that my upper air passages blocked, which then set my heartbeat racing and this usually leads to greying out.
This greying out also occurred when I was exposed to second hand smoke (in this case someone smoking inside a building where it was banned, and it was cigar smoke at that…). Apparently, during the attack I went a very deathly pale colour.
My reactions also included the inability to breathe when I was exposed to paint fumes.
My experiences were extreme to say the least, and I have not had a problem since the electrical problem with my heart was fixed with treatment. However, my upper air passages still get blocked from smoke in the atmosphere, and I remain cautious about using Windex. There are safer alternatives.