Chemicals in household cleaners 'cause asthma'

Bleach, paint stripper and carpet cleaners used in the home can cause wheezing and asthma in children, research suggests today.

A study following 14,000 children since birth found frequent use of household cleaning products and other chemicals was linked to breathing problems.

Researchers asked pregnant women how often they used the chemical products.

They found that among the 10 per cent of families who used the products the most, ch i ldren were twice as likely to suffer breathing difficulties.

Report author Dr Andrea Sherriff, said: "These findings suggest children whose mothers made frequent use of chemical-based domestic products during pregnancy were more likely to wheeze persistently throughout early childhood, independent of many other factors."

Common products linked to breathing problems included bleach, paint stripper and carpet cleaners.

Information involving 7,019 families, who were taking part in the Children Of The 90s project at Bristol University, was used.

The findings were published in the journal Thorax.