Carbon monoxide is second only to cigarettes. Each year, there are many deaths linked to poisoning with this invisible, odorless and non-irritating gas (boilers, stoves, water heaters) and yet the risk remains underestimated, according to Martine Ramel, of Ineris. “Not only is it fatal very quickly, but it can also intoxicate in small doses, which results in headaches or dizziness. »
Formaldehyde completes the podium of the most threatening substances. “Because we find it in almost all homes, argues Martine Ramel, at admittedly often low doses, but it is a product that we know is carcinogenic. This formalin derivative is everywhere: in furniture, home fragrances, cleaning products…
Next come other volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), such as benzene, xylene, toluene, etc. Generated by construction materials, decoration, insulation, varnishes, glues, etc., as well as by cleaning products (cleaners, air fresheners, stain removers, descalers, insecticides) and even certain cosmetics (lacquers , deodorants), they have, at the very least, irritating and potentially more serious effects (cancer, hormonal disturbances, neurological disorders, etc.). Still in the VOC family (which has about thirty molecules), glycol ethers are also very toxic, especially for the fetus, and yet present in certain paints or window sprays.
Finally, heavy metals – arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead – are not more frequent.
What is the danger of carbon monoxide?
Invisible asphyxiating gas, the carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and non-irritating: it can spread in your home without you realizing it.
Every winter, several thousand French people are victims, with several dozen deaths. Carbon monoxide is the first cause of accidental death by toxic in France. This gas can be released from gas, wood, fuel, coal heating appliances, stoves, fireplaces, etc. The cause: improper operation or improper use of a combustion appliance, lack of maintenance, lack of ventilation…
After being inhaled, carbon monoxide binds to red blood cells in place of oxygen. It can cause a poisoning acute with dizziness, loss of consciousness…, and be fatal in less than an hour; or a weaker so-called chronic intoxication. What should alert you? Headaches, nausea or vomiting: these symptoms can announce the beginning of intoxication, especially if they occur in several people. In this case, immediately open windows and doors, leave your home, and call the emergency services. The premises can only be reinstated after the visit of a professional, who will look for the cause of the poisoning and will suggest the work to be done.
It should be known that repeated significant intoxication can leave lifelong sequelae: chronic migraines, problems of coordination of movements, paralysis. It could also disrupt the brain development of children.
How do VOCs threaten us?
VOCs have been shown to be respiratory, eye and skin irritants. They can cause allergies (a lot of asthma among housekeepers), heart, digestive, kidney, liver, nervous system disorders, and sometimes cancer and fetal malformations. A scientific study, funded for five years by the European Commission and published in 2005, showed that frequent contact with pesticides increased the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 43%. While other products, called “endocrine disruptors », particularly affect fertility… and are found in children’s toys.
However, of the approximately 100,000 chemical substances present on the European market, the effects of only a tiny minority are known. The European Reach regulations, which came into force on June 1, 2007, must give priority to studying the most widely used substances, ie 30,000 in total, of which 2,000 are deemed to be “extremely worrying” for their impact on health and the environment.
It is therefore probably wiser to invest in “noble” materials (solid wood, for example, is generally healthier than chipboard) and objects bearing an eco-label.
Which pollutants are carcinogenic?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are particularly blamed, such as formaldehyde, at the origin of nasopharyngeal cancers or leukemias (“Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine”, 09/2010) for long and repeated exposures. According to the Indoor Air Quality Observatory, three proven (benzene) or probable carcinogenic chemical substances (trichlorethylene and tetrachlorethylene) appear in significant quantities in our homes. A Swedish study from April 2008 shows that the risk of thyroid cancer is multiplied by three in women who handle solvents in the leather trades. Thepesticidescould also be involved in the sharp increase in hormone-dependent cancers (breast, prostate, testicles) as well as those affecting children (brain tumours, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) and in leukemia (on the rise among farmers). In total, ANSES estimates that at least ten of the poisons we breathe are probable carcinogens.
