Cleaning Does Not Negatively Impact Immunity
Study finds no proof that overly clean facilities lead to defective immune systems in children
July 12, 2021
A common Western World 21st Century belief is that humans are “too clean for their own good.” Many are concerned that if children spend too much time in hygienic facilities, they will not be exposed to enough germs to build up their immunity and will be more likely to develop allergies. However, London researchers revealed four key findings that disprove this modern theory, Study Finds reports.
In a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers at University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine concluded that humans are not too clean for the following reasons:
- Most of the microorganisms found in a home, school, or other building are not the ones humans need for immunity.
- Vaccines, in addition to protecting individuals from the infection that they target, help strengthen our immune systems. Therefore, people do not need to risk death by being exposed to dangerous pathogens.
- There is now concrete evidence that the microorganisms found in the natural environment are particularly important for our health; domestic cleaning and hygiene have no bearing on our exposure to the natural environment.
- Recent research demonstrates that when epidemiologists find an association between cleaning and health problems, such as allergies, this is often not caused by the removal of organisms, but rather by exposure of the lungs to excess cleaning chemicals.
“For more than 20 years there has been a public narrative that hand and domestic hygiene practices, that are essential for stopping exposure to disease-causing pathogens, are also blocking exposure to the beneficial organisms,” said Graham Rook, study lead author and professor at UCL. “Exposure to microorganisms in early life is essential for the ‘education’ of the immune and metabolic systems.”
Rook added that “throughout life we need exposure to these beneficial microorganisms, derived mostly from our mothers, other family members and the natural environment.”
For information on how COVID-19 vaccines impact immunity, watch the latest episode of BioTalk, presented by GBACtv, featuring members of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™, (GBAC), a Division of ISSA.
