Study: Home Cleaning Products May Cause Breathing Problems in Children
研究：家庭清洁用品或是儿童呼吸疾病元凶
New parents who clean their homes very often to protect their babies from bacteria and other organisms might want to cut back their efforts.
新手父母为了保护婴儿免受细菌侵害会经常打扫房屋，而其他有机体可能在破坏他们的努力。
A new study suggests that high levels of contact with cleaning products are linked to an increased risk of the childhood breathing condition known as asthma.
一项新的研究表明，频繁接触清洁产品会增加儿童患哮喘的风险。
Researchers asked a group of parents how often they used 26 common household cleaners during their babies’ first three to four months of life. By age three, the children who had come in contact with cleaning products the most were more likely to be diagnosed with asthma. The researchers said that children who had a lot of contact with cleaners were 37 percent more likely to have asthma than children with the least contact.
研究人员询问了一组父母，他们在孩子出生三到四个月期间使用26种常见的家用清洁剂的频率。到三岁时，接触清洁产品最多的儿童更有可能被诊断出哮喘病症。研究人员称，经常接触清洁产品的儿童比很少接触清洁产品的儿童患哮喘的可能性高37%。
The study also found that a lot of exposure to cleaning products caused children to be 35 percent more likely to have chronic difficulty breathing. In addition, they were 49 percent more likely to have chronic allergies.
研究还发现，大量接触清洁产品会使儿童患上慢性呼吸困难的可能性增加35%。此外，他们患慢性过敏疾病的可能性要高出49%。
Tim Takaro, who helped lead the study, is a doctor with Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. He told the Reuters news service he understands that parents want to make their homes safe for their children. But he suggests that they should question the belief that their home is clean only if it smells like chemical-based cleaning products.
蒂姆·塔卡罗是加拿大温哥华西蒙弗雷泽大学的一名博士，他协助领导了这项研究。他告诉路透社，他理解家长们希望为孩子们营造一个安全的家。但他建议，人们对这样的理念应该心存质疑：即只有家里闻起来有化学清洁产品的味道时，他们才会认为家里是干净的。
“Instead, we propose that the smell of a healthy home is no smell at all,” said Takaro.
塔卡罗说:“相反，我们认为一个洁净健康的家应该是没有气味的。”
Takaro said parents should read labels and look for products that are free of substances like chemical colors and smells. Also, they should consider natural cleaning products instead of chemical ones.
塔卡罗表示，家长们应该阅读产品标签，寻找那些不含化学色素和化学气味等物质的产品。此外，他们应该考虑使用天然清洁产品，而不是用化学产品。
The study appeared in the medical publication CMAJ earlier this month. The researchers wrote that the first months of life are very important for development of the body’s natural defenses, known as the immune system. The same is true for the organs involved in breathing.
这项研究在本月早些时候发表于医学出版物《加拿大医学协会杂志》上。研究人员写道，生命的最初几个月对身体的自然防御系统，即免疫系统的发展非常重要。对于呼吸器官也是如此。
Chemicals in cleaning products can cause chronic inflammation that may lead to asthma. It also may make symptoms appear more often and intensely, the researchers noted.
清洁产品中的化学物质会导致慢性炎症，从而导致哮喘疾病。研究人员指出，它还可能导致症状出现得更频繁、更严重。
Asthma can be difficult to diagnose with breathing tests involving young children. So researchers also tested the children’s skin for allergies and asked parents how often children experienced symptoms like trouble breathing.
儿童呼吸测试很难诊断哮喘疾病。因此，研究人员还测试了孩子的皮肤是否过敏，并询问家长孩子出现呼吸困难等症状的频率。
The most commonly used cleaning products in the study were dishwashing soap, multipurpose cleaners, glass cleaners and soap for washing clothes.
研究中最常用的清洁产品是洗碗皂、多功能清洁剂、玻璃清洁剂和洗衣皂。
The American Lung Association recommends avoiding cleaning products that contain volatile organic substances and other irritants. But companies in Canada and the United States are not required to list all the chemicals in cleaning products. Some products labeled as environmentally friendly, or “green,” may contain harmful substances.
美国肺脏协会建议避免使用含有挥发性有机物和其他刺激物的清洁产品。但是加拿大和美国的公司并未被强制要求列出清洁产品中的所有化学物质。一些贴有“绿色”环保标签的产品可能含有有害物质。
Elissa Abrams, who wrote comments on the study, is a doctor with the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. She admitted that the effects of cleaning products are not well understood. But she believes these products and the chemicals they contain act as irritants to growing children.
加拿大温尼伯马尼托巴大学的博士艾莉莎·艾布拉姆斯评论了这项研究。她承认清洁产品（对健康）的影响还没有被很好地了解。但她认为，这些产品及其所含的化学物质对正在成长中的儿童有刺激作用。
Young children who spend a lot of time indoors may be at greater risk, said Abrams.
艾布拉姆斯称，长时间待在室内的儿童可能面临更大的风险。
“The take-home message is that parents should be careful which cleaning products they use in the home,” she added.
她补充道:“我们希望传达的关键信息是，家长们应该谨慎选择在家里使用的清洁产品。”
I’m Pete Musto.
皮特·马斯托报道
Study: Home Cleaning Products May Cause Breathing Problems in Children
New parents who clean their homes very often to protect their babies from bacteria and other organisms might want to cut back their efforts.
A new study suggests that high levels of contact with cleaning products are linked to an increased risk of the childhood breathing condition known as asthma.
Researchers asked a group of parents how often they used 26 common household cleaners during their babies’ first three to four months of life. By age three, the children who had come in contact with cleaning products the most were more likely to be diagnosed with asthma. The researchers said that children who had a lot of contact with cleaners were 37 percent more likely to have asthma than children with the least contact.
The study also found that a lot of exposure to cleaning products caused children to be 35 percent more likely to have chronic difficulty breathing. In addition, they were 49 percent more likely to have chronic allergies.
Tim Takaro, who helped lead the study, is a doctor with Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. He told the Reuters news service he understands that parents want to make their homes safe for their children. But he suggests that they should question the belief that their home is clean only if it smells like chemical-based cleaning products.
“Instead, we propose that the smell of a healthy home is no smell at all,” said Takaro.
Takaro said parents should read labels and look for products that are free of substances like chemical colors and smells. Also, they should consider natural cleaning products instead of chemical ones.
The study appeared in the medical publication CMAJ earlier this month. The researchers wrote that the first months of life are very important for development of the body’s natural defenses, known as the immune system. The same is true for the organs involved in breathing.
Chemicals in cleaning products can cause chronic inflammation that may lead to asthma. It also may make symptoms appear more often and intensely, the researchers noted.
Asthma can be difficult to diagnose with breathing tests involving young children. So researchers also tested the children’s skin for allergies and asked parents how often children experienced symptoms like trouble breathing.
The most commonly used cleaning products in the study were dishwashing soap, multipurpose cleaners, glass cleaners and soap for washing clothes.
The American Lung Association recommends avoiding cleaning products that contain volatile organic substances and other irritants. But companies in Canada and the United States are not required to list all the chemicals in cleaning products. Some products labeled as environmentally friendly, or “green,” may contain harmful substances.
Elissa Abrams, who wrote comments on the study, is a doctor with the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. She admitted that the effects of cleaning products are not well understood. But she believes these products and the chemicals they contain act as irritants to growing children.
Young children who spend a lot of time indoors may be at greater risk, said Abrams.
“The take-home message is that parents should be careful which cleaning products they use in the home,” she added.
I’m Pete Musto.
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