Common Household Appliances Found to be Dangerous to Health

Common household appliances can be hidden sources of ultrafine polluting particles indoors, scientists from Pusan National University discovered. A new study showed that toasters, air fryers, and hair dryers can release trillions of particles smaller than 100 nanometers, which can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to the Journal of Hazardous Materials (JHM), during experiments in a laboratory chamber, the biggest source of pollution turned out to be a regular pop-up toaster: even without bread, it emitted up to 1.73 trillion ultrafine particles per minute. Significant emissions were also recorded from air fryers and hair dryers, especially those equipped with commutator electric motors. Meanwhile, modern hair dryers with brushless motors produced 10-100 times fewer particles.

Computer modeling showed that ultrafine particles are barely trapped in the nasal cavity and settle in the deep sections of the lungs. Children have a higher risk of potential exposure due to narrower airways. Additional concern is caused by the presence of heavy metals in the particles - copper, iron, aluminum, and titanium, which are likely released from heating elements and electric motors.

The study authors emphasize that direct health impact assessment was not conducted in this work. However, ultrafine particles have previously been linked to the development of asthma, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and inflammatory processes. In this regard, scientists call for a revision of household appliance design standards and the development of stricter recommendations for indoor air quality.