Household cleaning products may cause harm to your lungs similar to what smoking does to your lungs.
An European report presented by the European Respiratory Society Congress found that exposure to cleaning chemicals in bleach, polishes, fabric softeners, detergents etc, increases the risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) by 32%. COPD causes lung damage that leaves sufferers constantly breathless and dependent on supplementary oxygen.
According to the National University Hospital, smoking is the most common cause of COPD, and in Singapore, COPD is the 10th leading cause of death.
And you also need to be careful of products that claim to be for suitable for sensitive-skin. Some of these products contain a family of chemicals called isothiazolinones. They have been blamed for allergies known as contact dermatitis where the skin becomes red and itchy.
Instead of using such chemicals to clean your house, you could explore using natural alternatives duch as baking soda, pure lemon juice and vinegar to clean the house too.
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