Verified on 01/03/2022 by Florine Dergelet, Editor
If we already know that household products can pollute our interiors, a study analyzed, for the first time, the level of polluting particles emitted by scented household products in real time. According to the researchers, products containing monoterpenes generate similar or higher levels of pollution than a busy road.
Household products as harmful as a traffic jam
According to a study led by Colleen Rosales of the University of California, Davis, household products containing monoterpenes might expose to similar or higher levels of pollution than car exhaust pollution. Monoterpenes are chemicals used in household products to give a deodorizing scent (such as citrus fruits, pine, etc.). However, monoterpenes evaporate easily in the air and react with unstable molecules such as ozone. The result is polluting particles called secondary organic aerosols (SOA).
To analyze the level of particles during an indoor cleaning session in real conditions, the researchers used these products for ten minutes in a ventilated office. They then observed a marked increase in the rate of pollution as well as a drop in ozone and an increase in the rate of free radicals. According to the results of the study, published in Sciences Advances, spending an hour and a half in a room in which cleaning products containing monoterpenes have just been used is equivalent to spending between 1h30 and 6 hours on a road where traffic car is important.
Indoor pollution that can lead to respiratory problems
Polluting particles called secondary organic aerosols (SOA) generated by car fumes and cleaning products containing monoterpenes can cause serious respiratory problems. According to Colleen Rosales, lead author of the study, the smaller the particles, the deeper they penetrate into the lungs “. However, the scientist explains that smaller particles cause serious respiratory problems, such as inflammation. They can also introduce chemicals into the bloodstream ».
While the study highlights the fact that workers in the professional maintenance sector are the most exposed to this indoor pollution, the researchers recommend using ventilation systems equipped with ozone filters in order to capture the ozone and polluting particles. The researchers also recommend that all users avoid the use of cleaning products containing monoterpenes.
