ADVERTISEMENT
Present in nearly seven out of ten French households and used for generations for its whitening, deodorant and disinfecting properties, bleach is a chemical that is dangerous to health. These are the dangers that bleach makes you feel and why you should stop using it at home now.
The Dangers of Javel Water
A product that causes burns and irritations that should be avoided
Javel water is a corrosive product and is therefore the most toxic. Its contact burns the skin and its irritating vapours cause headaches, nausea and damage our eyes and airways.
Not only is bleach itself aggressive, but can be further aggressive when mixed with other cleaning products. Combined with products such as vinegar or ammonia, chemical reactions take place and emit highly irritating and toxic gases such as chloramine and dichlorine.
Increased risk of developing lung disease
A study conducted by researchers at Harvard University and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) highlighted the fact that the use of bleach and other disinfectants used for cleaning more than once a week increases the risk of developing some chronic lung diseases by 32%.
Do we really need bleach?
It is not necessary to kill all microorganisms.
Bacteria are essential for the equilibrium of the ecosystem. Using disinfectants such as bleach, we kill both bad and good bacteria, which have consequences for the environment, insects, animals, plants and for us.
According to a study published in the medical journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, children living in a house where bleach is used regularly have a greater propensity to suffer from all kinds of ENT, respiratory or other infections such as flu or tonsillitis.
For researcher Lidia Casas, “the high frequency of use of cleaning and disinfecting products caused by the mistaken belief – reinforced by advertising – that our homes should not contain any microbes, produces the effects reported in our study. It is a public health problem. ”
Javel water harms the environment
On the other hand, bleach contains chlorine, a substance that is harmful to the environment because when it is associated with organic molecules, it is transformed into organochlorine compounds that are particularly toxic and dangerous to the environment, to the extent that they are used by farmers as pesticides. Organochlorines also remain present for a very long time in soils and plants, and this is one of the reasons why these compounds are banned in many countries.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
