Formaldehyde is a strong smelling chemical that is used in building materials and to produce many household products. Formaldehyde is present in both indoor and outdoor air at low level. During the 1970s, many house used urea-formaldehyde foam insulation. However, industrial workers, lab technician, and some health care professionals might be exposed by inherit formaldehyde gas or vapor from the air. When it is present in the air more than 0.1ppm, some people may have watery eyes, burning sensation in their eyes, nose and throat. Also they will have coughing, wheezing, nausea and skin irritation. EPA classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen when exposed by higher level.
Bleach is one of common products we use to clean house. However, Bobette Matulonga et al. suggested that bleach is risk factor for asthma. They found out that "frequent use of bleach for home-cleaning is associated with non-allergic adult-onset asthma, elevated neutrophil counts and lower-airway symptoms in women"(Matulonga et al). The followings are what they found from study :
Women using bleach at home were more likely to have non-allergic asthma.
Considering that bleach is a very common household item, we have the opportunity as nurses to educate our patients on the dangers of such products. When adults are diagnosed with asthma, screening for the household use of bleach or other toxic cleaners should be included within the questionnaire. This could help us to determine the source of their asthma or what triggers their exacerbations.
ReplyDeleteMatulonga et al. presented very interesting findings!
Hello Yeana,
ReplyDeleteI learned similar things about these chemicals. I believe that it would be prudent to reduce the personal use of these products to a minimum. Personally, I feel that particularly for personal home use, bleach really does not need to be used at all. In the case of the work environment, many cannot avoid exposure to such things as bleach. It makes me consider ways in which exposure to such chemicals can be reduced among the workforce, and how industries requiring workers to use or be exposed to such products can be held more accountable.