Is cleaning with bleach safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about cleaning with bleach during pregnancy?

1. Chlorine and chlorinated disinfectants like bleach have not been shown to increase the risk of birth defects, and skin absorbs very little of a diluted cleaning solution. 1
2. A study of pregnant workers with occupational exposure to cleaning chemicals, including bleach, found no significant association with childhood wheeze or asthma in the children followed after birth. 2
3. In a large Japanese birth cohort, chlorine bleach exposure during the first trimester wasn't significantly associated with a higher rate of spontaneous abortion. 3
4. The same cohort tracked chlorine bleach exposure through the second and third trimesters, including daily use, and found no significant link to stillbirth. 3
5. Household bleach is typically a 3 to 5 percent solution, a different risk category from the more concentrated commercial solutions meant for dilution, which carry more potential for toxicity. 4

Is cleaning with bleach safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. MotherToBaby's review, which covers exposure across pregnancy, found chlorine and chlorinated disinfectants haven't been shown to raise the risk of birth defects, the main concern during the first trimester while organs are forming.
• Second trimester. A cohort that tracked chemical exposures through the second and third trimesters found chlorine bleach exposure, including daily use, wasn't significantly linked to stillbirth.
• Third trimester. Skin absorbs very little of a diluted bleach solution and typical cleaning fumes usually don't reach the bloodstream in meaningful amounts, so the same open-window-and-gloves approach that works earlier in pregnancy still applies late in pregnancy.