Green Cleaning, Should we stop using Cleaning Chemicals in our cleaning products
Women who love to keep their homes clean could be at larger risk of breast cancer, research suggests.
Could the use of green cleaning products remove this exposure?
Scientists have discovered there are limportant links between the cancer and women's use of mould removers.
General use of cleaners doubled the risk of breast cancer in women who used them the most , it was discovered.
Among the different kinds of products, mould killers and air fresheners had the strongest impact.
Green cleaning alternatives generally feature no toxic chemicals in there ingrediant lista and are therefor are an ideal option for women worried about this connection.
In contrast, mothballs, pesticides and insect repellents had little impact on breast cancer risk.
Researchers conducted phone conversations with 787 women aged 50 to 80 years old in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with breast cancer and 765 healthy women also in that age range.
The femails were asked about their usage of cleaning products and pesticides, and then divided into 4 groups from between low and high users. Cancer rates for the different groups were then compared.
Study leader Dr Julia Brody, from the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Massachusetts, said: "Women who reported the largest combined cleaning product usage had a trebeled risk of contracting breast cancer when compared to those with the lowest reported use.
"The usage of air fresheners and products for mould and mildew control were associated with increased risk. To our knowledge, this is the first published report on cleaning product use and risk of breast cancer."
Air fresheners were discovered to triple breast cancer risk among females in the largest user group, as did weekly use of mould and mildew-removing agents.
Scientists state that if women were using green cleaning systems then this could remove this risk altogether.
Some household cleaners also have ingredients which are known to trigger breast cancer in animals, said the researchers.
Many were also created with endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that could potentially affect the growth of oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells.
Not present in green cleaning products, Hormone-disruptors such as synthetic musks were commonly used in air fresheners, it was also discovered. Air fresheners could also contain lethalchemicals called terpenes which can potentially react with ozone in the air to form cancer triggers such as formaldehyde it was concluded.
"Even though these exposure levels could be perceived as low and EDCs are generally often less potent than endogenous hormones, limited knowledge of product formulas and exposure levels of chemical constituents alone make it very hard to assess risks associated with product use," the researchers wrote.
The scientists acknowledged that their conclusions might be swayed by "recall bias" because they were relying heavily on answers to questions. As to if it was possible that green cleaning products could decrease this risk, the answer was a definative yes in favour of using less chemicals and more green cleaning products.
For instance, women who blamed chemical pollutants for their breast cancer would be more probable to report high usage of cleaning products. Women who reported using only green cleaning products were not tested in the report.
However, Dr Brody said it was also true that women with cancer, who thought about the probable cause of their disease, may be more prone to remember their use of cleaners accurately.
Such high unknown factors could be altogther avoided with a "prospective" study that paid attention to the fate of a study group over several years.
More information about green cleaning alternatives can be found at websites such as www.puregreencleaning.com.au which offers up interesting and healthy alternatives to cleaning with dangerious chemicals.
References and sources:
http://will6pierce.livejournal.com/684.html http://green-cleaning1.onsugar.com/How-avoid-hidden-nasties-modern-cleaning-chemicals-9166024
green cleaning pages
Women who love to keep their homes clean could be at larger risk of breast cancer, research suggests.
Could the use of green cleaning products remove this exposure?
Scientists have discovered there are limportant links between the cancer and women's use of mould removers.
General use of cleaners doubled the risk of breast cancer in women who used them the most , it was discovered.
Among the different kinds of products, mould killers and air fresheners had the strongest impact.
Green cleaning alternatives generally feature no toxic chemicals in there ingrediant lista and are therefor are an ideal option for women worried about this connection.
In contrast, mothballs, pesticides and insect repellents had little impact on breast cancer risk.
Researchers conducted phone conversations with 787 women aged 50 to 80 years old in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with breast cancer and 765 healthy women also in that age range.
The femails were asked about their usage of cleaning products and pesticides, and then divided into 4 groups from between low and high users. Cancer rates for the different groups were then compared.
Study leader Dr Julia Brody, from the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Massachusetts, said: "Women who reported the largest combined cleaning product usage had a trebeled risk of contracting breast cancer when compared to those with the lowest reported use.
"The usage of air fresheners and products for mould and mildew control were associated with increased risk. To our knowledge, this is the first published report on cleaning product use and risk of breast cancer."
Air fresheners were discovered to triple breast cancer risk among females in the largest user group, as did weekly use of mould and mildew-removing agents.
Scientists state that if women were using green cleaning systems then this could remove this risk altogether.
Some household cleaners also have ingredients which are known to trigger breast cancer in animals, said the researchers.
Many were also created with endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that could potentially affect the growth of oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells.
Not present in green cleaning products, Hormone-disruptors such as synthetic musks were commonly used in air fresheners, it was also discovered. Air fresheners could also contain lethalchemicals called terpenes which can potentially react with ozone in the air to form cancer triggers such as formaldehyde it was concluded.
"Even though these exposure levels could be perceived as low and EDCs are generally often less potent than endogenous hormones, limited knowledge of product formulas and exposure levels of chemical constituents alone make it very hard to assess risks associated with product use," the researchers wrote.
The scientists acknowledged that their conclusions might be swayed by "recall bias" because they were relying heavily on answers to questions. As to if it was possible that green cleaning products could decrease this risk, the answer was a definative yes in favour of using less chemicals and more green cleaning products.
For instance, women who blamed chemical pollutants for their breast cancer would be more probable to report high usage of cleaning products. Women who reported using only green cleaning products were not tested in the report.
However, Dr Brody said it was also true that women with cancer, who thought about the probable cause of their disease, may be more prone to remember their use of cleaners accurately.
Such high unknown factors could be altogther avoided with a "prospective" study that paid attention to the fate of a study group over several years.
More information about green cleaning alternatives can be found at websites such as www.puregreencleaning.com.au which offers up interesting and healthy alternatives to cleaning with dangerious chemicals.
References and sources:
http://will6pierce.livejournal.com/684.html http://green-cleaning1.onsugar.com/How-avoid-hidden-nasties-modern-cleaning-chemicals-9166024
green cleaning pages
