As the living standards improve, people are no longer in the era of using one detergent for all cleaning purposes. More and more household cleaning products have emerged in the public eye. Does detergent have an impact on human health? Let's explore the hazards of detergent.
Types of Detergents
There are various types of detergents. For fiber and fabric cleaning, there are laundry soap and laundry powder. For hard surfaces, there are dishwashing detergent and dish soap. For personal hygiene, there are bar soap, shampoo, and body wash. For special purposes, there are floor wax cleansers, wall cleansers, kitchen grease cleansers, etc. Detergents can also be classified as natural or synthetic based on their sources.
Natural detergents have minimal impact on human health. It is mainly synthetic detergents that pose a risk to human health. The main hazards are as follows:
Skin Allergies
Detergents can have varying degrees of residue on clothing. Alkaline laundry powders with high levels of chemical substances such as phosphates can irritate the skin. People with sensitive skin are more likely to develop skin allergies as a result.
Residue Ingestion
Household detergents can enter the human body through the skin, respiratory tract, and digestive system. Dishwashing detergents can leave residues on fruits, vegetables, and utensils, which can easily enter the body through the oral cavity. Excessive accumulation of chemical components in detergents, such as aluminum salts, can impair bodily functions and lead to chronic poisoning, iron-deficiency anemia, liver failure, and other diseases.
Eczema
When there are local skin injuries, the surfactants in detergents can penetrate through the skin cracks and cause irritation, leading to eczema.
Skin and Mucous Membrane Damage
Detergents that are effective in removing stubborn stains, such as toilet cleaners, often contain strong acids or alkalis, which have corrosive effects on the skin and mucous membranes. It is advisable to handle them with caution and wear a mask when using them.
Avoid Mixing Detergents
Never mix different detergents to enhance cleaning effectiveness. There have been cases of chlorine poisoning due to the mixing of detergents. Most household cleaning agents are artificially synthesized compounds, some of which are acidic, some are alkaline, and some require light avoidance and need to be protected from heat or sunlight. Mixing them can cause pollution and harm human health. Therefore, it is important to store different detergents separately and avoid mixing them.
