Like it or not, we all have to wash our dishes at some time or another. It’s an loathsome daily chore, but thanks to modern advancements like the dishwasher, washing up after meals has never been easier. But did you know that some commercial rinse agents could have significant complications to public health and may give rise to various chronic diseases?
Many studies have found that some commercial rinse agents used during dishwashing could have significant complications to public health and may give rise to various chronic diseases.
A Look into Dishwasher Safety
The study that tackled this issue, conducted by the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF) and the University of Zurich (UZH), went to great lengths to uncover the effects of rinse aid in the gastrointestinal tract when using everyday dishwashing methods. The layer lining the intestinal tract controls what enters the body. Disruptions can lead to multiple health risks, including obesity, arthritis, food allergies, Alzheimer's disease and more. SIAF Director Professor Cezmi Akdis says “We assume that defective epithelial barriers play a role in triggering the onset of two billion chronic illnesses”.
Key Findings
The study concluded that some dishwashers in public use are missing an extra wash cycle that would use extra rinse agents, allowing dried-on chemicals to get into the gastrointestinal tract when these dishes are used again. Using newly developed microchip technology on human cells, they found that high doses of rinse agents killed intestinal epithelial cells in the body, amounts reflected in dishwasher use (1:10,000 to 1:40,000).
Akdis states “The effect that we found could mark the beginning of the destruction of the gut’s epithelial layer and trigger the onset of many chronic diseases”, a hypothesis he has concluded after 20 years of research in the field. He concluded, “It is important to inform the public about this risk, since alcohol ethoxylates seem to be commonly used in commercial dishwashers.”
What Can We Do To Minimise the Risk?
While we are still finding information on the problem and calling for public health intervention, there are ways around this issue, especially if you feel you are at a higher risk or more susceptible to chronic diseases. An easy and cheap answer would be to hand wash dishes, which can be a viable option for some. For those that don’t have the time, using powders, running extra rinse cycles, and buying less toxic cleaning products can mitigate the risk drastically. Either way, we recommend Chemwatch for all of your chemical needs and questions.
How Chemwatch can help?
Chemwatch produces Safety Data Sheets (SDS) to ensure all your users are aware of the hazards related to the chemicals used in products. If you want to know more about the environmental and health effects of chemicals, or how to minimise risk while working with chemicals, we’re here to help. We have tools to help you with mandatory reporting, as well as generating SDS and Risk Assessments. We also have a library of webinars covering global safety regulations, software training, accredited courses, and labelling requirements. For more information, Contact Us today!
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