A team of researchers have said that mothers who use disinfectants expose their babies to asthma.
According to a new study, chemicals in these cleaning products make the fetus vulnerable.
The researchers led by the University Of Bergen in Norway opined that fetuses of women who work as cleaners, nurses and cooks are even more vulnerable.
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This was after they looked into 3000 mothers to ascertain the impact of the chemicals on their babies.
The result found out that 71 per cent of women who use these products are more likely to have a child with asthma.
In this study presented to the European Respiratory Journal International Congress, a previous study regarding this same matter was confirmed.
According to previous research, mothers have been warned against exposing babies to various cleaning products.
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These products include 1. Dishwashing soap. 2. Dishwasher detergent. 3. multi-surface cleaners. 4. Glass cleaners. 5. Laundry soap. All of these items were linked to asthma.
Experts said that these products have chemical compounds that irritate the airways and obstruct breathing.
A professor of the University of Bergen in Norway, Cecilie Svanes, said this study brings a new dimension to parental exposure to chemicals and child health.
Her words: “Many future mothers are exposed to potent chemicals at work, but potential offspring health effects are hardly investigated.
“However, emerging research suggests that parents’ chemical exposures before conception might influence the health of future offspring.”
Professor Svanes also addressed speculations about these chemicals affecting a woman’s eggs. She said that more research was needed to validate this claim.
“Further research is imperative, considering the potential implications for vast numbers of women in childbearing age using cleaning agents, and their children,” she said.
A similar study in the United States in 2019 also confirmed the impact of cleaning agents on child’s health.
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The study which reviewed 70,000 female nurses found that 25-35 per cent risked lungs conditions.
This research also ascertained that occupational exposure to these products increased the risk of developing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
They also claimed that exposure to the chemical could lead to pregnancy loss.
More complications included:
i. Preterm birth.
ii. Low birth weight.
iii. Pregnancy loss.
iv. Conditions in the baby’s later life, such as asthma.
“It is important to remember that only potential links have been found.
“These complications may have been caused by other factors, including lifestyle choices and various other health conditions.
“Some evidence shows that using cleaning sprays, air fresheners and solvents during pregnancy may increase the risk of wheezing and infections for children after birth.
“However, much more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between exposure to chemicals and the risk of developing asthma,” the researchers observed.
Source: PUNCH Healthwise
