2021 Volume 64 Issue 3 Pages 157-162
Hypochlorite is often used as a household detergent in Japan, and is included as an ingredient of commercial cleaning products manufactured by multiple companies. Precautions for use, such as prohibition against combined use with acidic cleaning solutions, ensuring proper ventilation, and recommendation for wearing masks, gloves, goggles, etc., have been published. However, even with the use of proper precautions, including ensuring adequate, health problems could still occur, and among them, reported on social networking services (SNS) , is olfactory dysfunction. There are no published papers yet on the association of olfactory dysfunction with the use of hypochlorite. We encountered two cases of olfactory dysfunction that developed after the subjects used chlorine-based cleaning agents. Hypochlorous acid and organochlorine compounds, which are metabolites, may cause olfactory inflammation and conductive olfactory dysfunction, and repeated exposure to hypochlorous acid impairs regeneration of the olfactory epithelium and homeostasis, and inflammatory cell infiltration. It can cause neurological damage, resulting in neurological olfactory dysfunction. When using chlorine-based cleaning agents, it is important to observe the precautions for use, and in the event of occurrence of olfactory dysfunction, use of the agent should be immediately discontinued and a specialized medical institution consulted.
