In light of the deteriorating economic situation in the Gaza Strip, women have decided to shift to cheaper items when they buy household cleaning detergents, without taking much care of the chronic effects of these detergents on both health and skin. More specifically, the daily exposure to the chemical detergents puts women at a high risk, which may be doubled when these chemicals are not labeled properly, especially those bought from peddlers. Therefore, the absence of labels, which provide information about the detergents’ ingredients and how to handle them, makes the housewives unaware of the proper way to handle these products. To achieve the objectives of the study, 37 women from the east of Deir El-Balah in Wadi El-Salqah area, replied to a questionnaire to examine their handling of the detergents and whether they are aware of the related risks of the exposure to these chemicals. In addition to the questionnaire, the researchers observed 45 women while they were cleaning their houses. The study concluded that housewives in the Wadi El-Salqah area did not handle household detergents in the right way, and consequently, they had put their health at risk. Thus, the study recommends that efforts must be oriented towards disseminating awareness among women about the health risks related to the exposure to the chemical detergents, providing the housewives with manuals of how to use detergents, and what precautions should be taken.
Household, cleaning detergents, Gaza, proper handling, chemical exposure
