United States: Cradle to the graveillustrated that harmful and toxic chemicals often stored in garages tend to raise the risk of developing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).Scientists stated that Gasoline, kerosene, other gas-powered equipment, and some lawn care products are the three main hazardous substances relevant to ALS found in the garage.
Getting in contact with any three of them can lead to hazardous diseases, which can even cause death. Exposures to any of these three can increase the risk of ALS by almost 15 percent. Researchers said that chemicals found in garages that can increase the risk of ALS include pesticides, paint, and woodworking supplies.
Eventually, the risk of getting ALS is much higher in the places where there are attached garages; basically, the flow of air from attached garages into the living space is likely behind this, researchers said, as per the information given in usnews.com
According to senior researcher Stuart Batterman, an environmentalist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, “Air in the garage tends to rush into the house when the entry door is opened, and air flows occur more or less continuously through small cracks and openings in walls and floors,” particularly in colder climates.
“Thus, it makes sense that keeping volatile chemicals in an attached garage shows the stronger effect,” Batterman added in a university news release.
According to the study, researchers assessed the influence of chemicals in the homes of more than 600 people with and without ALS.Ultimately, the storage of these chemicals is often associated with ALS risk, which leads to many health-related problems. The new study was published recently in the journal Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration.
According to experts, this conclusion is consistent with past studies that indicated more significant levels of pesticides in the blood of ALS patients and that pesticide use was associated with a worse chance of survival for ALS patients.
Dr Eva Feldman, chairperson of the University of Michigan’s Michigan ALS Center of Excellence and senior researcher, remarked, ” With each study, we better understand the types of exposures that increase the risk of developing ALS.”
Feldman continued, “We now need to build on these discoveries to comprehend how these exposures raise the risk of ALS.”