Researchers at Harvard University and the French National Institue of Health and Medical Research have found that regular use of bleach and other disinfectants may increase your chances of developing fatal lung disease.

Research shows that people who used harsh cleaning products such as bleach, once a week, had up to a 32% increased chance of developing fatal lung disease. Researchers looked at more than 55,000 nurses in the U.S, because they use disinfectants to clean on a regular basis. Of the 55,000 nurses, 37% use disinfectants to clean surfaces on a weekly basis, and 19% used them to clean medical instruments weekly.

Related: How to Use Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Your Home

Fatal lung disease, also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is present in 1.2 million people in the U.K and kills 25,000 people a year in the U.K.

To the best of our knowledge we are the first to report a link between disinfectants and COPD among healthcare workers, and to investigate specific chemicals that may underlie this association…Some of these disinfectants, such as bleach and quats, are frequently used in ordinary households, and the potential impact of domestic use of disinfectants on COPD development is unknown…Earlier studies have found a link between asthma and exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants at home, such as bleach and sprays, so it is important to investigate this further

Study: Weekly Use of Disinfectants Greatly Increases Your Risk of Fatal Lung Disease

A Spanish municipal official has apologized for spraying a local beach with bleach in an effort to combat COVID-19. Government officials in Zahara de los Atunes in southern Spain sent tractors to spray beach at local beaches. The country has been under lockdown since the middle of March, and this week marks the first time children under the age of 14 will be able to go outside (albeit only for an hour).

Related: Sunlight and Alcohol Showed Effective at Killing Coronavirus, Alcohol More Effective Than Bleach

The decision to spray the beach has come under fire from environmental groups in the country. In addition to the ecosystem disruption caused by the bleach, the use of tractors could crush eggs from birds using the beach as a nesting ground. In a twitter post, Greenpeace Spain said,

Fumigating beaches with bleach in the middle of bird-breeding season or during the development of the invertebrate network that will support coastal fishing … is not one of [Donald] Trump’s ideas. It is happening in Zahara de los Atunes,”

Translated from Greenpeace Spain

Related: Coronavirus Cleaning Leads to Increased Calls to Poison Centers

Sources:

• Spanish official apologizes for spraying beach with bleach – The Guardian