Tuesday 12th August 2008 News Index

Babies born to mothers who regularly used household cleaning products during pregnancy are more likely to develop asthma, research has found.

New findings from Brunel University suggest that chemicals found in home cleaning products can be linked to increased risk of developing childhood asthma and allergies.

In a study of more than 13,000 children, researchers discovered that early life exposure to cleaning chemicals was associated with a 41 per cent increase in a child's chances of developing asthma by the age of seven.

Dr Alexandra Farrow from Brunel University's School of Health Sciences and Social Care, explained: "Previous research has shown that a child's risk of developing asthma is lower if he or she is exposed to bacteria or bacterial products in early life, probably because it assists in the development of a child's immune system."

"However, our research suggests that one possible mechanism for this hypothesis may involve the chemicals found in domestic cleaning products."

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