10 things in the house that shorten our lives

It is that cats and computer game heroes have several lives. And we have one with you. In taking care of yourself, it is not enough to follow the rules of a healthy lifestyle. You also need to pay attention to your home.

Take a look around: you probably have at least one of these things that slowly but surely worsen your health. And this, in turn, not only affects the quality of life, but also its duration.

Faulty electrician

Are you a happy owner of square meters in a pre-revolutionary building and have never changed the wiring? Or maybe you bought an apartment in the Stalin era and proudly show guests wires over the walls and porcelain sockets and switches? But if this beauty was established during the reign of Tsar Pea, then your retro design is a time bomb. Over time, the insulation of such wires dries up and crumbles. You will not have time to look around, but a short circuit has already occurred. And there it is not far from the fire.

Hidden wiring can also cause a fire, although it is considered less dangerous from the point of view of fire safety. But the service life of such wires depends on the material and the quality of the installation. Aluminum must be replaced after 10-15 years of operation, copper – after 20-30. Did the neighbors fill it up? Do not postpone the visit of an electrician – most likely, your wiring must also be completely replaced. Otherwise, a short circuit cannot be avoided. The reason for calling a specialist can also be a large number of electrical appliances in the house. Old wiring is not designed for the current power of kitchen gadgets.

Furniture from chipboard

Our grandmothers still remember how for months they stood in line for a “German set”. But the furniture manufacturing industry has made great strides forward. On sale there are both very expensive furniture and cheap chipboard. Due to the price, the latter is very popular.

But in pursuit of cheapness, you can seriously undermine your health, and at the same time minus several years of a relatively carefree life. Unscrupulous manufacturers can use slabs intended exclusively for construction in the manufacture of furniture. They are distinguished by a pungent chemical odor, since they emit phenol and formaldehyde, which are very harmful to the body. These substances can cause both mild discomfort and serious problems with the respiratory system.

But do not rush to throw out the old sideboard, inherited from your grandmother (unless you have set a goal here and now to update the interior). Over time, the release of formaldehyde from furniture practically disappears. So this wall, if it is capable of bringing suffering, is of an exclusively aesthetic sense.

Plastic utensils

Plates and mugs in bright colors, containers in which it is so convenient to warm up a lunch brought from home at work. Plastic dishes have become a part of the everyday life of almost every Russian family. It does not break, easy to clean.

Meanwhile, in Europe last year, the sale of disposable plastic dishes was banned. True, the decision was dictated rather by concern for the outside world, rather than the health of users. After all, from the plastic thrown into the waters of the World Ocean, several “garbage islands” were formed, the largest of which – Eastern Garbage Patch – exceeds the territory of France three times!

But that is in Europe. Our consumer, on the other hand, has been keeping the plastic kits they bought for years with care. Completely unaware that it is simply dangerous to eat from such dishes. The shelf life of plastic containers is a maximum of one year. Over time, cracks, roughness and other damage appear on the surface, and this is a breeding ground for pathogenic microbes and bacteria (and a trodden path into the body of harmful plastic secretions). If any are found, immediately get rid of the dishes. Sterilization in boiling water will not save your plate, but will only exacerbate the problem. When heated, bisphenol A and phthalate are released from plastic – substances that can change the hormonal background of a person. By the way, it is also not recommended to heat thermostatic plastic above 60 degrees for the same reason.

Poor ventilation

The most important thing is the weather in the house. The microclimate in an apartment, if it is violated, can seriously affect the health, well-being and performance of any person. After all, it was not in vain that the World Health Organization, back in the 70s of the last century, introduced such a concept as “sick building syndrome.” This is when a person feels unwell, being in a particular room for a long time. This “disease” develops against the background of poor air quality. The quality of life in general is also decreasing. It’s not very pleasant that you constantly sniffle, rub your eyes, or cough every five minutes.

And even with poor air circulation in the apartment, the windows begin to fog up, and the resulting condensation drain onto the windowsill and walls. You won’t have time to look around, and mold and mildew have already started up in the corners. And it is not always possible to face the enemy face to face. Each cubic meter of seemingly clean room contains up to 500 mushroom spores. Large disputes can lead to allergies, small disputes can lead to respiratory diseases, and toxins can cause a number of cancers.

Household chemicals

Remove stubborn stains from clothes, rid the apartment of mosquitoes or cockroaches, make the floor sparkle and the apartment smell of roses. Without household chemicals, we would spend 2/3 of our lives in everyday worries about cleanliness and order. But all of these drugs poison our homes with toxins on a daily basis.

Ethylene glycol, for example, found in air fresheners, causes weakness, headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, and palpitations. And phthalic acid esters can affect the development of the unborn child and adversely affect reproductive abilities.

Chlorine vapor poisoning during bleaching of clothes or shock cleaning in the house is also no joke. Against its background, hypertension, problems with the heart and blood vessels (and there are not far from a heart attack in the near future) or allergies with subsequent bronchial asthma can develop.

Means of moths

You can lay out lavender, geranium leaves or orange peels on the shelves with boas and fur coats as much as you like. Only an adult moth butterfly can be frightened away with the help of folk remedies. But the larva, which destroys the woolen things dear to the heart, are not afraid of “grass”. Whether it’s the good old naphthalene. True, to get rid of moths, you need a really lethal concentration of this chemical compound. And it is dangerous for humans as well. Nausea, vomiting, headache, and even diarrhea. And these are just flowers. Long-term exposure to naphthalene can damage or destroy red blood cells (erythrocytes).

Paradichlorobenzene, which is an active ingredient in other repellents, is no better. Allergies, irritation of the mucous membranes, or an asthma attack can become frequent companions of those who regularly use such drugs.

Synthetic carpets

The carpet on the wall is a relic of the past, but as a floor covering it is respected by many designers. It is not only beautiful, but also practical: it dampens sounds and keeps the house warm. But the carpet is a real dust collector. Every year he collects 2-3 kilograms of dust! And the hair of pets, keratinized skin particles settle on the carpet, and millions of parasites live on the carpet, which can only be seen under a microscope. Fiber mites can cause allergies, asthma and other respiratory problems.

But this is not so bad. In the end, the daily cleaning in the house has not yet been canceled. But if the rug was made of synthetic materials, it can seriously undermine health. Polypropylene, acrylic, polyurethane, vinyl, nylon – all of these are not safe for the lungs. Harmful substances are released especially intensively at the very beginning. The smell of a brand new synthetic carpet you will not confuse with anything. It is better to let such a “new thing” for the floor rest for several weeks in some non-residential premises, for example, in the garage or on the veranda in the country. Of course, the poisons will not disappear completely, but their concentration will noticeably decrease. However, a carpet made of natural materials can also be treated with chemistry.

Laser printers

Unexpected, but true. A laser printer can harm your health no less than secondhand smoke. And all because during operation, the device throws into the air the smallest particles of printing toner powder. Once in the lungs, it can lead to difficulty breathing or provoke chronic illness. Pleasant little. Failure to replace the ozone filter in the printer will also lead to blood oxidation and premature aging. In general, try to keep the printer in a well-ventilated area and do not turn it on unless absolutely necessary.

Anti-flame retardants

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers reduce the flammability of the material. They are used to process mattresses, furniture upholstery, computer parts. Such measures have saved many lives by preventing fires. After all, the same polyurethane foam mattresses were easily ignited by an unextinguished cigarette. But these substances, getting into the body along with dust, can cause diseases of the thyroid gland, damage to the central nervous system, and negatively affect the reproductive system. They also accumulate in breast milk and even adipose tissue.

Vinyl wallpapers

Vinyl wallpapers of all kinds of colors and structures are also very popular for their ease of use. But with the same ease, vinyl wallpaper inflicts a dotted blow on health. Polyvinyl chloride is a fairly durable material. It does not allow moisture, steam and air to pass through, which leads to the formation of mildew and mildew under the inner layer of the wallpaper. And we already know about the danger of being close to these microorganisms.