Household chemicals post threat to brain health, study indicates

1 of 2 | A study by the Ohio-based Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that 292 of the 1,823 common chemicals examined were poisonous to a special type of brain cell Photo by Karolina Grabowska/Pexels

March 25 (UPI) — Many household chemicals, including those found in hair treatments, furniture sprays and disinfectants, could pose a threat to brain health and may be linked to neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and autism, scientists reported Monday.

A study by the Ohio-based Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, published in Nature Neuroscience, found that 292 of the 1,823 common chemicals examined were poisonous to a special type of brain cell called an oligodendrocyte, which creates a protective insulation around nerve cells.

“Loss of oligodendrocytes underlies multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases,” Dr. Paul Tesar, principal investigator of the study said in a news release.

“We now show that specific chemicals in consumer products can directly harm oligodendrocytes, representing a previously unrecognized risk factor for neurological disease. said Tesar, the Dr. Donald and Ruth Weber Goodman Professor of Innovative Therapeutics and director of the Institute for Glial Sciences at the School of Medicine.

The study, which utilized mice, notes that neurological issues impact millions of individuals, but only a fraction of those cases have been or are attributed to genetics, adding that “unknown environmental factors are important contributors to neurological disease.”

Tesar noted that “We now show that specific chemicals in consumer products can directly harm oligodendrocytes, representing a previously unrecognized risk factor for neurological disease.”

The study points to greater use of such items as spray disinfectant in everyday life since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that people are more regularly exposed to potential toxins. It also notes that many electronic and furniture product fixtures also contain such toxins that people use daily.

The study’s lead author said that oligodendrocytes — but not other brain cells — are “surprisingly vulnerable to quaternary ammonium compounds and organophosphate flame retardants,” which are chemical substances used in everyday products for a variety of purposes or reasons.

“Understanding human exposure to these chemicals may help explain a missing link in how some neurological diseases arise,” said Erin Cohn, also a Case Western graduate student in its medical scientist training program.

A 2019 study said household dust can host toxic chemicals used on a variety of everyday devices, electronic or otherwise. That came nearly thee years after a separate 2016 study of homes in 14 states that identified 45 potentially toxic chemicals in household dust.

In 2018, a different study likewise tied the use of certain household and industrial chemicals to kidney harm through the exposure to contaminated food, water and air while another study the same year said household products likely contribute to air pollution as much as gas-powered vehicles.

The research team of this new study, which included members from the Environmental Protection Agency, said more research is warranted to determine full impact and effect of these chemicals on overall brain health.

“We hope our work will contribute to informed decisions regarding regulatory measures or behavioral interventions to minimize chemical exposure and protect human health,” Tesar said.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the New York Stem Cell Foundation, as well as philanthropic assistance.

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