Patient...We all know about the dangers of outdoor pollution, but did you know you could be exposed to harmful chemicals inside your own home? We speak to the experts about the cleaning products that could trigger harmful symptoms and how to keep your house spick and span without damaging your health. Cleaning is a chore, but it has to be done. I recently moved house and, like many movers, embarked on the 'Big Clean' of the old rental property. I used some powerful products to deep-clean everything from the oven, to the toilet, to even the skirting boards. But now I wonder whether I may have unknowingly put my health at risk in my quest to get my deposit back.
It turns out that indoor air pollution is a little known but very toxic problem. It comes from multiple sources such as gas stoves and wood burners but also personal care products such as nail varnish and deodorant, and even cleaning products. We spend up to 90% of our time indoors, often without ventilating appropriately, which could mean the levels of some pollutants become even higher than outside.
As Colette Harris, head of health advice at Asthma UK, points out:
"Most of us know that it can be harmful to breathe in polluted air outside but even the air in your own home could prove toxic, especially for people with health conditions such as asthma."
Harris stresses that cleaning products can even trigger potentially fatal asthma attacks in the home. So how can we reduce the risk for everyone while maintaining a house that Anthea Turner would be proud of? I asked Dr Julianne Barry from the London Doctors Clinic whether my worries were founded in truth.
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