Dishwashers are usually used in restaurants, schools, or canteens. After the washing process, a residue of the rinse aid often remains on the dishes, which can damage the intestinal epithelium, report researchers led by Prof. Cezmi Akdis of the Swiss Institute for Allergy and Asthma Research at the University of Zurich. The result can be food allergies, gastritis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.

For their studies, the research team placed human intestinal organoids and intestinal cells on microchips and exposed them to a commercially used dishwasher and rinse aid. They observed that a high dose of the rinse aid led to the death of the intestinal epithelial cells; at lower doses, the epithelial barrier became more permeable.  Activation of several genes and production of signaling substances indicated inflammatory responses.  In particular, alcohol ethoxylate in the rinse aid was responsible for the response.

Original publications:
Ismail Ogulur, Yagiz Pat, Tamer Aydin, Duygu Yazici, Beate Rückert, Yaqi Penq, Juno Kim, Urszula Radzikowska, Patrick Westermann, Milena Sokolowska, Raja Dhir, Mubeccel Akdis, Kari Nadeau, Cezmi A. Akdis. Gut epithelial barrier damage caused by dishwasher detergents and rinse aids. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 1 December 2022.

Source:
https://www.chemie.de/news/1178725/gewerbliche-geschirrspueler-zerstoeren-schutzschicht-des-darms.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=chemde&WT.mc_id=ca0259