Shampoo 'as bad a health risk as car fumes'

[DonViejo]

Source: The Times of London




Tom Whipple, Science Editor in Austin
February 16 2018, 12:01am,
The Times

Shampoo, oven cleaner, deodorant and other household products are as significant a source of the most dangerous form of air pollution as cars, research has found.

Scientists studying air pollution in Los Angeles found that up to half of particles known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) came from domestic products, which also include paint, pesticides, bleach and perfumes.

These compounds degrade into particles known as PM2.5, which cause respiratory problems and are implicated in 29,000 premature deaths each year in the UK. Traffic had been assumed to be the biggest source of air pollution. The new findings, published in the journal Science, led to warnings that countries may struggle to hit pollution targets, with most tackling vehicle emissions.

The research came as another study claimed that professional cleaners suffered a decline in lung function comparable to that seen in regular smokers.

Read more: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/shampoo-as-bad-a-health-risk-as-car-fumes-hxzbqlbjf

[WhiteTara]

1. I knew a woman who died of emphasema

but never smoked. She covered herself in cheap colognes that have phalants (VOCs)

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Maybe overstated but -- I have always hated strongly scented products.

I keep my distance from people who wear too much perfume, cologne, aftershave, etc. I used baby shampoo for years because it is nearly unscented (depends on brand). Never been one of those "if a little is good, a lot is better" types. I'm more "less is more".