A serious health warning to people who are drying clothes inside has been given by experts.
Trying to get laundry dry in the winter months is something that households across the country battle with in the winter months. Tumble dryers are expensive to run and it’s too cold or too wet to hang items on the washing line.
But drying clothing over the radiators inside could be harming our health as it can cause moisture levels to rise to dangerous levels, according to researchers.
And there is a stark warning that the common practice can even lead to ‘fatal lung infections’ in some people, reports the Express.
A study by the by the University of Manchester has looked into the risks around drying washed clothes indoors. Professor David Denning and his team at the National Aspergillosis Centre in Manchester issued the wet washing warning after treating a growing number of patients who have developed the condition from inhaling the Aspergillus fungal spores.
Aspergillosis is a fungal infection caused by breathing in the fungal spores that wet washing can create.
Dr Denning, Professor of Infectious Disease in Global Health at The University of Manchester, explained: “It’s estimated that as many as 87 percent of us dry our clothes indoors in the winter. One load of wet washing contains almost two litres of water, which is released into the room.
“Most of us are either immune to the fungus which grows in these humid conditions or have a sufficiently healthy system to fight the infection. But, in asthma sufferers it can produce coughing and wheeziness, and in people with weak or damaged immune systems, such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, Aids patients and people who…have an auto-immune disease, the fungus can cause pulmonary aspergillosis – a condition which can cause irreparable, and sometime fatal, damage to the lungs and sinuses.
“My advice would be when in doubt, dry wet washing outside, in a tumble dryer or in a well-ventilated indoor space away from bedrooms and living areas. Be safe rather than sorry.”
Each year, the NHS spends an estimated £1.4 billion on treating illnesses associated with living in cold or damp housing. Greg Wilson, Founder and CEO of Quotezone.co.uk, said: “Many people are completely unaware of the consequences of air drying clothes inside their homes.
“Using air dryers, radiators and heated drying racks indoors may seem like a good idea during the winter months, but it can pose a serious health risk. Wet clothes release moisture into the home as they start to dry which can develop into mould and damp, causing mild allergies, aggravating asthma or worse.
Households who need to dry clothes inside – which in winter is pretty much all of us – are being advised to use a tumble dryer, or for a cheaper option, a dehumidifier.
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