The most dangerous household chore

A study by Canadian researchers reveals that one of the most common household chores can expose you to virulent pathogens that might prove deadly.

The research demonstrates that the dust lifted into the air by vacuum cleaners conveys harmful bacteria and mold. Those germs “could lead to adverse effects in allergic people, infants, and people with compromised immunity,” warn researchers at the University of Queensland and Laval University in Canada.

Their analysis also shows that the microorganisms possess resistance genes for five common antibiotics as well as the Clostridium botulinum toxin gene.

The scientists caution: “The dust found indoors could act as a vehicle for infant botulism infection that can have severe consequences,” including sudden infant death syndrome, according to previous research.

“Even though no quantitative data are available for antibiotic resistance gene emission while vacuuming, the observed emission rates for bacteria might suggest that the genetic content of those bacterial cells, including antibiotic resistance genes, may contribute to indoor bioaerosol exposure,” the researchers say.

So open the windows and use plenty of ventilation when you vacuum. You should also keep young children, the frail and the elderly out of the room when the vacuum is turned on.

Carl Lowe

By Carl Lowe

has written about health, fitness and nutrition for a wide range of publications including Prevention Magazine, Self Magazine and Time-Life Books. The author of more than a dozen books, he has been gluten-free since 2007.

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