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You likely use them every single day – but some of your home appliances could be emitting harmful pollutants, a new study has warned.
Researchers have discovered popular devices release trillions of ultrafine particles that contain heavy metals.
These can penetrate the human body to settle in the lungs, and have been linked to conditions including asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and dementia.
Worryingly, the experts warn that young children are especially at risk.
'Indoor air quality has a critical impact on human health due to the presence of indoor air pollutants,' the team, from Pusan National University in South Korea said.
'Small home appliances equipped with heating coils and brushed motors generate ultrafine particles that directly attack users.'
Their tests found that pop–up toasters are the worst offenders, emitting up to 1.73 trillion UFPs per minute.
These particles are incredibly small – less than 100 nanometres in diameter – and were found to contain traces of copper, iron, aluminium, silver and titanium.
The researchers found that overall, children were more at risk from the harmful particles – likely due to their smaller airways
Their tests found that pop–up toasters are the worst offenders, emitting up to 1.73 trillion UFPs per minute (file image)
The assessment involved three different types of small electric home appliances – air fryers, toasters and hairdryers.
The amount of UFPs emitted by each device was measured, as well as the chemical compositions of heavy metals within the particles were analysed.
A simulation model was used to understand how the tiny particles affect our respiratory tracts, to work out who is most susceptible.
Overall, the team found that most of the appliances emit large quantities of UFPs – and the amount of emission was often based on the operating temperatures.
While the pop–up toaster topped the list for harmful pollution emissions, the air fryer came next. When used at a setting of 200°C, it released 135 billion UFPs per minute.
Hairdryers were not as bad, although some models still emitted 100 billion UFPs per minute, the researchers found.
The heavy metals detected in the airborne particles were likely coming off the coils and motors directly, they said.
'These associated heavy metals increase the risk of cytotoxicity and inflammation when the particles enter the human body,' the researchers said.
The team found popular home devices release trillions of ultrafine particles that can penetrate the body and settle in the lungs
The heavy metals detected in the airborne particles were likely coming off the device's coils and motors directly, the team said (file image)
What are ultrafine particles?
UFPs, are extremely tiny airborne particles that are smaller than 100 nanometres in diameter.
They pose significant risks as they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
Road traffic is a major contributor, but they can also be released from household appliances.
Previous studies have linked UFPs to asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and dementia.
The study also showed that the UFPs are deposited predominantly in the alveolar region of the lungs – the tiny air tubes where the crucial work of breathing happens.
Since children have smaller airways, they face a higher health risk than adults, they warned.
While the study did not directly analyse the potential health impacts of the UFPs produced by these appliances, previous research indicates they are bad for human health.
These particles have been linked to conditions including asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and dementia.
'Our study emphasises the need for emission–aware electric appliance design and age–specific indoor air quality guidelines,' lead author Professor Changhyuk Kim said.
'In the long term, reducing UFP emissions from everyday devices will contribute to healthier indoor environments and lower chronic exposure risks, particularly for young children.
'Moreover, this framework can be extended to other consumer products, guiding future innovations toward human health protection.'
The study was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
'Understanding the source of the pollutants helps to develop preventive measures and policies for keeping healthy indoor air quality,' Professor Kim concluded.
A study published earlier this year revealed common household products are creating plumes of indoor air pollution.
In their study, the team from Purdue University warned of the dangers of products including air fresheners, wax melts, floor cleaners, and deodorants.
'A forest is a pristine environment,' said Nusrat Jung, an assistant professor in Purdue's Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering.
'But if you're using cleaning and aromatherapy products full of chemically manufactured scents to recreate a forest in your home, you're actually creating a tremendous amount of indoor air pollution that you shouldn't be breathing in.'
WHAT HAVE RECENT STUDIES SHOWN POLLUTION CAN DO TO OUR HEALTH AND BODIES?
CAUSE CHILDREN TO HAVE A LOW IQ: Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found in May 2019 that children born to mothers who live in polluted areas have an IQ that is up to seven points lower than those living in places with cleaner air.
CAUSE CHILDREN TO HAVE POORER MEMORY: Researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found boys exposed to greater levels of PM2.5 in the womb performed worse on memory tests by the time they are 10.
DELAY THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN: Youngsters who live less than one-third of a mile away from busy roads are twice as likely to score lower on tests of communication skills in infancy, found researchers at Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health in April. They were also more likely to have poorer hand-eye coordination.
MAKE CHILDREN MORE ANXIOUS: University of Cincinnati scientists claimed pollution may alter the structure of children's brains to make them more anxious. Their study of 14 youngsters found rates of anxiety was higher among those exposed to greater levels of pollution.
CUT YOUR CHILD'S LIFE SHORT: Children born today will lose nearly two years of their lives because of air pollution, according to a report by the US-based Health Effects Institute and the University of British Columbia in April 2019. UNICEF called for action on the back of the study.
RAISE A CHILD'S RISK OF AUTISM: Researchers at Monash University in Australia discovered youngsters living in highly polluted parts of Shanghai have a 86 per cent greater chance of developing ASD. Lead author Dr Yuming Guo said: 'The developing brains of young children are more vulnerable to toxic exposures in the environment.'
CAUSE ASTHMA IN CHILDREN: Four million children around the world develop asthma each year because of road traffic pollution, a major study by academics at George Washington University estimated. Experts are divided as to what causes asthma - but exposure to pollution in childhood increases the risk by damaging the lungs.
MAKE CHILDREN FAT: University of Southern California experts found last November that 10 year olds who lived in polluted areas when they were babies are, on average, 2.2lbs (1kg), heavier than those who grew up around cleaner air. Nitrogen dioxide pollution could disrupt how well children burn fat, the scientists said.
LEAVE WOMEN INFERTILE EARLIER: Scientists at the University of Modena, Italy, claimed in May 2019 that they believe pollution speeds up ageing in women, just like smoking, meaning they run out of eggs faster. This was based on them finding almost two-thirds of women who have a low 'reserve' of eggs regularly inhaled toxic air.
RAISE THE RISK OF A MISCARRIAGE: University of Utah scientists found in January that pregnant women are 16 per cent more likely to suffer the heartbreak of a miscarriage if they live in areas of high pollution.
RAISE THE RISK OF BREAST CANCER: Scientists at the University of Stirling found six women working at the same bridge next to a busy road in the US got breast cancer within three years of each other. There was a one in 10,000 chance the cases were a coincidence, the study said. It suggested chemicals in the traffic fumes caused the cancer by shutting down the BRCA genes, which try to stop tumours growing.
DAMAGE A MAN'S SPERM: Brazilian scientists at the University of Sao Paulo found in March that mice exposed to toxic air had lower counts and worse quality sperm compared to those who had inhaled clean air since birth.
MAKE MEN LESS LIKELY TO GET SEXUALLY AROUSED: Scientists at Guangzhou Medical University in China found rats exposed to air pollution struggled to get sexually aroused. Scientists believe it may also affect men, as inhaling poisonous particles may trigger inflammation in blood vessels and starve the genitals of oxygen – affecting men's ability to become sexually aroused.
MAKE MEN MORE LIKELY TO HAVE ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION: Men who live on main roads are more likely to have difficulty getting an erection due to exposure to pollution, a Guangzhou University in China study suggested in February. Toxic fumes reduced blood flow to the genitals, tests on rats showed, putting them at risk of developing erectile dysfunction.
RAISE THE RISK OF PSYCHOSIS: In March, King's College London scientists linked toxic air to intense paranoia and hearing voices in young people for the first time. They said uncovering exactly how pollution may lead to psychosis should be an 'urgent health priority'.
MAKE YOU DEPRESSED: Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers found in January that that the more polluted the air, the sadder we are. Their study was based on analysing social media users in China alongside the average daily PM2.5 concentration and weather data where they lived.
CAUSE DEMENTIA: Air pollution could be responsible for 60,000 cases of dementia in the UK, researchers from King's College London and St George's, University of London, calculated last September. Tiny pollutants breathed deep into the lungs and enter the blood stream, where they may travel into the brain and cause inflammation – a problem which may trigger dementia.
