The use of disinfectants is common in most Kenyan households. People rely on them to enhance cleanliness to keep their houses free from disease-causing germs.
This practice has become even more pronounced amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as public health messages advocate for improved hygiene among other measures to help prevent the disease.
“I never used to be so particular about the cleanliness in my house. But since the Covid-19 disease came, I have been disinfecting all frequently used surfaces in my house like tabletops, shelves, kitchen worktops as well as door handles. Before I would just rely on soap and normal detergents. But now I have to use disinfectant sprays and liquids to ensure all germs have been killed,” says Lilian, a mother of two, based in Nairobi.
This practice has also become common in workplaces as organisations make disinfection a priority to assure customers of their safety amid the pandemic.
Moreover, people have become accustomed to disinfecting their hands through alcohol rubs among other chemicals, whenever they are unable to adequately wash their hands with soap and water, as a Covid-19 prevention measure.
As all this happens, health experts have raised an alarm over the possible effects of these disinfectants among pregnant women as this predisposes their unborn children to lung complications and skin problems.
A new study published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Journal has found that the excessive use of disinfectants by pregnant women may be a risk factor for asthma and eczema in their children.
Asthma is a condition in which a person’s airways in the lungs become inflamed, narrow and swollen.
These symptoms are accompanied by the production of excess mucus, which blocks the airways and makes breathing difficult.
The ailment also causes wheezing, cough or chest pains and can be life-threatening.
Eczema, on the other hand, is a very common skin condition that causes inflamed, itchy, red, dry and irritated skin. It damages the skin barrier (protection glue), making it more sensitive and prone to infection and dryness.
The condition has no cure but treatments exist that can help those affected to alleviate eczema symptoms.
According to the researchers, past studies have indicated a link between exposure to disinfectants in the workplace and the development of asthma as well as a skin problem known as dermatitis.
“However, this new study is among the few that have looked at the impact of disinfectant use during pregnancy and the subsequent development of allergic disease in children.”
“And given the current increased use of disinfectants to prevent new coronavirus infections, it is of great public health importance to consider whether prenatal disinfectant exposure is a risk for the development of allergic diseases like asthma and eczema in children,” said the researchers from the University of Yamanashi in Japan who led the study.
The results of the research were drawn from an observational study that involved 78,915 participants (mother-child pairs) in Japan.
Even though it was done in workplaces like hospitals, the researchers noted that the findings of the study are important as there has been a huge rise in the use of bleach and hand sanitisers during the pandemic.
They specifically showed that the odds of children having asthma or eczema were significantly higher if their mothers had used disinfectants one to six times a week during their pregnancy.
There was an exposure-dependent relationship between prenatal exposure to disinfectants and the odds of children experiencing both conditions.
The children of mothers exposed to disinfectants every day had the highest odds of a diagnosis — 26 percent greater for asthma and 29 percent greater for eczema than children of mothers who were never exposed to disinfectants.
Embrace alternatives
Several mechanisms that could explain the increased risk of both conditions in children, following their mothers’ exposure to disinfectants during pregnancy were suggested by the authors.
They noted that disinfectants tend to adversely affect or destroy useful microorganisms found in the gut and skin of mothers, and subsequently their offspring. They also interfere with the immunity of the unborn child.
For health and safety purposes doctors recommend that pregnant women minimise their use and exposure to disinfectants.
They are urged to embrace alternatives, whenever possible, such as the use of soap and water for handwashing instead of the frequent use of hand rubs or sanitisers.
Whenever disinfectants need to be used for cleaning, pregnant women can protect themselves by wearing masks to avoid breathing in the fumes, as well as gloves to avoid touching the products.
Almost every chemical product used in homes could potentially affect a person if used inappropriately and in large quantities.
However, health experts note that the most toxic chemicals to avoid when cleaning during pregnancy are high-level disinfectants with ethylene oxide gas, hydrogen peroxide gas plasma, glutaraldehyde, ortho-phthalaldehyde, peracetic acid and formaldehyde.
Credit: Source link