Researchers say children may be more likely to get ill if their parents clean their house with bleach.

Scientists in Belgium found that they are 35% more likely to suffer from tonsillitis, and 20% more likely to get the flu if bleach was used.

The study, led by the University of Leuven, looked at the homes of more than 9,000 children across Spain, The Netherlands and Finland.

Parents of children aged 6 to 12 years were asked to complete a questionnaire on the number of times their children had influenza, tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis, bronchitis and pneumonia in the previous 12 months and use bleach at home.

The results found that use of bleach was common in Spain - at 72% - but dropped dramatically in Finland at just 7%.

It found that passive exposure to cleaning bleach in the home may have adverse effects on school-age children's health "by increasing the risk of respiratory and other infections."

It added that the high frequency of use of disinfecting irritant cleaning products may be of public health concern, also when exposure occurs during childhood.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal.