"My home is my castle". We perceive this phrase literally in every sense: my home is my protection from everything harmful, bad, dangerous. However, we often do not even suspect that it is in our fortress that invisible, but capable of causing irreparable harm to our health, enemies await us. Sometimes they take lives too.
Dust
It is unlikely that you can scare someone with it, especially if wet cleaning is often carried out in the house. American experts from the George Washington University conducted research on household dust extracted from hard-to-reach places in homes in different states of America. As a result, 45 different toxic substances were found in the dust, of which 10 were present in the absolute majority of samples (90%).
Scientists of the Allergology Department of the Research Institute of Pediatrics of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences conducted an experiment. In several apartments where asthmatics live, they regularly ionized the air. As a result, the patients almost completely disappeared from severe attacks, and the vital capacity of the lungs increased significantly. During the experiment, the composition of house dust was also studied here, in which, in addition to toxic substances, spores of staphylococci, streptococci, Escherichia coli, as well as microscopic fungi were found.
Mold
Usually in an apartment it is of three types: green, white and black. The most dangerous is black mold. The favorite place of her "dwelling" is bathrooms, showers - any place where it is warm, humid and poorly ventilated. The doctor of the highest qualification category - the head of the structural unit of the Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision Petr Grinishak says that black mold kills the immune system. It is especially dangerous for children, since the child's body is extremely unstable to microbes.
Flavors
Scented sticks, air fresheners and indoor aerosols can rightfully bear the title of "scented killer". Back in 2008, American scientists conducted a study that concluded that people who regularly use air fresheners in their homes have a 130 percent increased risk of cancer. Gel and aerosol air fresheners cause asthma: out of those who constantly use air fresheners, one in six falls ill with asthma.
Taiwanese experts (Taiwan is one of the countries where incense is part of the national culture) warn against being carried away by various kinds of scented sticks, which are lit to fumigate the premises and create a special smell there. Scented candles and sticks also contribute to the development of asthma. This was confirmed by research by scientists from the National Institute in Taipei. Institute staff examined two groups of adolescents with a total number of 3800 people. One group is from families where fragrances were not used at all, the other, on the contrary, is from those in whose homes various kinds of incense are constantly set on fire. In the first group, five percent of children with pre-asthmatic syndromes and three percent of those already suffering from asthma were identified. In the second group, pre-asthmatic syndrome was observed in 36 percent of the surveyed, and 64 percent were at risk of shortness of breath.
Danish scientists have followed more than 60,000 Singaporean Chinese, aged 45 to 74, for six years who showed no signs of cancer at the start of the study. A six-year observation showed that, along with factors such as, for example, smoking, long-term inhalation of incense smoke doubles the risk of developing all types of respiratory cancer. According to scientists, the development of oncology is facilitated by the carcinogens contained in the smoke of incense, including benzene, carbonyl compounds and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.
Plastic
Plastic windows and panels, popular in Russia, are increasingly being abandoned in America and Europe. Thus, the world market uses PVC only in 19 percent of the total production volume, and in Russia - in 48 percent. Polyvinyl chloride, which is the basis of the material, is a flammable substance that emits toxic substances when burned. But even with normal heating to 42 degrees and above, it emits carcinogens that are dangerous to human health. That is why it is not recommended to install plastic windows on the south side of the building. Also, doctors do not recommend using plastic panels in bedrooms and in the kitchen. They also release carcinogens into the air from heating and vapors. And breathing them not only during the day, but also at night is no less harmful to health.
Irina Borodulina, an allergist-dermatologist, recommends using only natural materials in housing, if possible. And the American expert on toxins Lara Adler advises to abandon even the plastic dishes so popular all over the world. In her opinion, even the advertised dishes made of the safest plastic still contain harmful chemicals that enter the human body with food and food, which, according to the expert, increases the risk of diabetes and cancer. Lara Adler, as an alternative to plastic, suggests using glassware, which is absolutely safe for humans.