The use of bleach to clean the home has been linked to a heightened risk of childhood infections.

Research published in the British Medical Journal's Occupational and Environmental Medicine on Friday found children whose parents regularly used bleach to clean the home were more susceptible to the flu, tonsillitis and other infections.

Cleaning with bleach has been linked with incidences of the flu and tonsillitis.

The study involved more than 9000 school-age children from the Netherlands, Spain and Finland. Their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire about the illnesses their children had had in the previous 12 months and also asked if they used bleach to clean their homes at least once a week.

After taking into account factors such as passive smoking at home, the presence of household mould and the use of bleach to clean school premises, the researchers found higher rates of infections among children whose parents regularly cleaned the home with bleach in all three countries.