cleaning
Cleaning your home with bleach may put your kids at higher risk of respiratory illness, a new report has found.
The study, published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, measured respiratory health in 9,102 children in Spain, Finland and the Netherlands whose parents reported cleaning with bleach.
After controlling for other variables, the children suffered a 20 percent increase for risk of flu and a 35 percent increase in the risk for recurrent tonsillitis.
Study authors say they cannot offer any recommendations about the use of bleach at home because their research did not look at the frequency or concentration of bleach use. Nevertheless, the study is enough to prompt a re-thinking of how we disinfect our homes. Here’s one guide to alternative cleaning products.