FRESH CLOTHES, HARD BREATHS: Laundry washing habits, Detergents, Softeners, and Impaired Respiratory Functions in Wheezy Children.

Background: Early childhood wheezing may indicate asthma risk, making assessment of environmental triggers crucial. Recent research has identified potential effects of laundry product chemicals on airway epithelial barriers.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the chemical contents and usage habits of household laundry products and pulmonary function in preschool children with recurrent wheezing and the effect of using soap-based detergent without additives on respiratory parameters measured by impulse oscillometry.

Methods: This prospective case-control study enrolled 80 recently diagnosed wheezy children (CW) and 80 healthy children (HC) between August 2023-February 2024. Laundry habits and product chemical ingredients were recorded. Respiratory function was measured by impulse oscillometry (IOS), assessing airway resistance (zR5, zR20, R5-20) and reactance (zX5, zX20, Fres, AX).

Results: Softener use was higher in the CW group (p=0.011). Chemical analysis revealed significantly higher frequency of sodium laurylsulphate (SLS), nonionic active substances, cocoglicoside, methylsotilozlolinone, butylphenylmethylpropional, linolol, coumarin, and oxygen-based bleaching agents in detergents used by the CW group compared to HCs (p<0.05). Similarly, cationic active substances, coumarin, linolol, and benzisotizolinone were more prevalent in softeners used by CW families (p<0.05). The CW group exhibited higher resistance values (zR5, zR20, R5-20, Fres, AX) and lower zX5 compared to HC (p<0.05). Children using additive-free detergents showed lower airway resistance (zR5, zR20) (p<0.05), while those using soap-free products had higher resistance measurements (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Wheezy children have greater exposure to laundry softener chemicals than healthy counterparts. Additive-containing products were associated with increased airway resistance, while soap-based detergents showed no detectable impact on respiratory function. These findings suggest a potential link between chemical laundry products and impaired respiratory function in preschool wheezy children.