Get out the hoover – household dust makes you fat!

THERE are plenty of good reasons to keep the house tidy and clean…and now scientists have found another one.

They say that household dust could be making you fat.

Air fresheners, washing liquid and flame retardants all contain chemicals which we breathe in after they build up in dust. Scientists have now found these chemicals may cause fat to build up in our cells.

The findings mean keeping up to date with the housework may be even more important. Researchers at Duke University in the US found ten out of 11 samples of dust from household homes contained the harmful chemicals. Researcher Dr Christopher Kassotis said: ‘Dusting – with a damp cloth, as dry dusting may just remobilise contaminants – and vacuuming more frequently has been shown to reduce this exposure.’

Gender-bending chemicals found in every home have already been linked to breast cancer, asthma and female infertility. But the latest study warns they may also be making us fatter, with children at particular risk because the chemicals can reach greater concentrations in their smaller bodies, they have more contact with dust, and their bodies are still developing.

The US researchers took household dust samples from residents who had not vacuumed for at least two days.

These were tested on mouse cells capable of turning into fat cells, to see if the chemicals would trigger this transformation.

Dust from seven out of 11 samples caused the cells to become mature fat cells, raising fears that the same thing is happening in our bodies. Only one of the 11 samples had no effect at all. The dust contained dibutyl phthalate which is still used in some plastics, despite having been found to disrupt human hormones. It is also found in flooring, mattresses and coated fabrics.

The dust also included isopropylated triaryl phosphates, which are found in washing liquids and air fresheners. Both substances were found to cause fat build-up.

The researchers, whose study is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, said effects were caused by as little as three micrograms of dust. Children ingest 1,600 times this amount a day.