These are products that are commonly used to keep a house clean: household products. They have been widely used in the fight against the pandemic. Covid-19. But American researchers are concerned about their potential impacts on brain health.
Indeed, according to specialists from the Faculty of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, in the United States, the presence of chemicals present in many household and care products, but also in everyday objects, could be linked Has neurological diseases such as the multiple sclerosis and the autism spectrum disorders. Their results are published in the magazine Nature Neuroscience.
Cleaning products, furniture: chemicals in their composition would impact brain cells
As a preamble to their research, specialists note that neurological problems affect millions of people around the world, “but only a fraction of cases can be attributed to genetics alone, indicating that unknown environmental factors contribute largely to neurological diseases”they indicate.
Researchers were particularly interested in chemicals present in everyday life that could impact brain oligodendrocytes. This is a “specialized type of cell that generates protective insulation around nerve cells” dont destruction causes neurological diseases.
Among the 1,800 chemicals analyzed, the researchers focused on those likely to negatively impact the brain’s oligodendrocytes. Two categories of products have attracted the attention of researchers: organophosphate flame retardants, that we find in furniture for example, and quaternary ammonium compounds, found in many personal care products and disinfectants.
Neurological diseases: certain brain cells may be particularly sensitive to chemicals
But what would be the consequences of these chemicals on the brain’s oligodendrocytes? To find out, the study authors exposed mice to organophosphate flame retardants and quaternary ammonium compounds. “We found that oligodendrocytes, but not other brain cells, are surprisingly vulnerable quaternary ammonium compounds and organophosphate flame retardants”, underlines Erin Cohn, lead author of the study, in a press release. Specifically, exposure to chemicals led to death or delays in the development of oligodendrocytes in mice.
Household products: what recommendations to limit the risks?
This is not the first time that chemicals present in particular in disinfectants have been singled out by researchers. In May 2023, American scientists were worried about exposure to quaternary ammonium compoundsestimating that this could impact the respiratory tract, the skin and the reproductive system.
On its website, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity publishes precautions for use for household products to avoid dangers, particularly with regard to the risks of poisoning, allergies or respiratory discomfort. These include:
- read the instructions on the labels,
- never transfer household products into another container,
- ventilate a home daily for 15 minutes in the morning and evening,
- use the right dose of products,
- rinse sufficiently.
Sources :
- Pervasive environmental chemicals impair oligodendrocyte development – Nature Neuroscience
- Common household chemicals pose new threat to brain health – Communiqué
- Household products: precautions for use – Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity
