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Emily Tsang

Blocked noses, headaches, sneezing and other allergic symptoms among children in Hong Kong could be caused by household cleaning products, an alarming new study has found.
Research by Chinese University of Hong Kong – the first to examine such products’ health effects on children in Asia – found that frequent use of the chemicals at home could increase the risk of children having rhinitis, or inflammation of the lining of the nose, by between 29 and 97 per cent.
The condition affecting up to 50 per cent of local primary school students could impair their quality of life as well as their scholastic performance, the researchers warned.
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Dr Xiangqian Lao, an assistant professor at Chinese University’s school of public health and primary care, said the findings suggested it was “necessary to develop healthier cleaning products”.
“Parents are also recommended to prevent triggering rhinitis in children by reducing their exposure to chemical cleaning products at home,” he said.
The three-year study surveyed over 2,299 students from 21 local primary schools on the use of 14 cleaning products at home.
“Parents are also recommended to prevent triggering rhinitis in children by reducing their exposure to chemical cleaning products at home,”
Dr Xiangqian Lao, Chinese University of Hong Kong assistant professor
It found the youngsters were most often exposed to kitchen-cleaning products, followed by floor-cleaning and bathroom-cleaning products.
Children with the highest level of exposure to cleaning products – tallying more than 3.2 hours per week – had a 29 per cent higher risk of experiencing occasional rhinitis, a 97 per cent higher risk of frequent rhinitis, and a 67 per cent higher risk of persistent rhinitis.
Every additional hour of exposure was associated with a 2.1 per cent higher risk of occasional rhinitis, a 3.6 per cent higher risk of frequent rhinitis, and a 1.2 per cent higher risk of persistent rhinitis.
The results suggested the ensuing health effect could be due to one’s total exposure to an array of cleaning products rather than to just a single type of product.
But no such associations were observed regarding the use of clean water for daily household cleaning.
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The researchers suggested that common household cleaning products contained harmful chemicals, including propylene glycol, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or EDTA, and volatile organic compounds.
They said their study was in line with others noting the adverse effect of cleaning products, especially relating to various respiratory health outcomes like infections and wheezing.
The study was published this month in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
According to the World Health Organisation, allergies affect up to 40 per cent of the world’s population, and the rate is rising, with allergic rhinitis being the most common.


Hidden danger: keeping your house clean can harm your kids’ health, Hong Kong study finds

The three-year study surveyed over 2,299 local students on the use of 14 cleaning products at home. Photo: Alamy

Pollution among the factors causing more allergies among children - and figures are set to rise 

Families with children suffering from allergies often have to devote a lot of effort to preventing exposure to allergens such as peanuts, milk or seafood in meals and dust mites at home. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Hidden danger: keeping your house clean can harm your kids’ health, Hong Kong study finds

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Researchers suggest limiting frequent exposure to chemicals to avoid rhinitis

Researchers suggest limiting frequent exposure to chemicals to avoid rhinitis