A polluting component of some household cleaning products would be responsible for over 900.000 premature deaths per year
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousA specific pollutant found in some very common household cleaning products would be responsible for over 900.000 premature deaths per year. A prediction 10 times more serious than that assumed so far
Many of us love the clean scent emanating from the colorful bottles of detergent and soap products, as well as the feeling of having a clean and tidy home - especially if small children or pets live with us. A new study, however, sheds disturbing light on many of the products we commonly use for cleaning in the house: they would in fact be responsible for a significant shortening of our life expectancy.
In fact, while most of the pollutants in the air come from the combustion of fossil fuels, some of these elements (called volatile organic compounds, VOCs) come from household hygiene products, pesticides and paints used in our apartments.
(Read also: Do you know what really is in "ecological" dishwashing detergents? The substances to avoid, the best and worst brands)
It is difficult to quantify the volatile chemical elements present in the air of our homes, because there are numerous factors that contribute to their presence. This new study, however, attempted to conduct a 'retrospective' survey based on data on emissions of volatile chemicals collected by the National Emissions Inventory (NEI) from 1995 to the present.
After comparing the data and creating models, the researchers correlated concentrations of ASOA to cases of premature death in the population: there is a strong suspicion that premature deaths related to inhalation of ASOA are between 340.000 and 900.000 - one impressive figure.
In the face of an already projected increase in the global population in the coming decades, it is very likely that the percentage of these toxic substances in the air will increase in the near future. For this reason, at least in the United States, people try to run for cover: since the 90s the National Volatile Organic Compound Emission Standard has issued limitations and minimum standards that the creators of home and personal hygiene products must respect.
One might think that toxicity is the same in all types of chemical particles emitted into the atmosphere, but this is not the case. According to a recent study, 'saline' type chemicals such as sulphates and nitrates have lower toxicity levels than heavy metals and organic compounds generated abundantly during combustion processes: home care products very often contain benzene or toluene, at the top of the toxicity scale.
But what to pay particular attention to in our homes to minimize the risk of intoxication? There are various sources of VOCs that can hide in the air of the house: in addition to cleaning materials and various products (e.g. glues, adhesives, solvents, paints) and cosmetic or deodorant products for personal care, there are also heating, clothes recently treated in laundries, cigarette smoke and that produced by work tools such as printers and copiers. Other important sources of pollution are building materials and furnishings (e.g. furniture, carpets, coatings) which can cause continuous emissions lasting over time (weeks or months): in this case, the emission of VOCs is higher than the beginning of the life of the product and tends to decrease considerably in a fairly short time (from one week for paints and adhesives, to six months for other chemical compounds). The exception is formaldehyde, which tends to have relatively constant releases over many years. The Ministry of Health has drawn up a table summarizing the main sources of VOCs:
Source Ministry of Health
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Sources: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics / Ministry of Health
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