Over the last several years, custodial/ cleaning staff have been noted to have an occupational risk because of increased reports of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. A study published last year online in Environmental Health has found that cleaning staff in hospitals are at risk for a number of different occupational exposures and that because of the properties of some the agents used by cleaning staff, other employees and even patients nay be at risk because of the duration of how long some of the agents remain in the local environment.
Anila Bello and colleagues preformed workplace interviews, reviewed product Materials Safety Data Sheets, reviewed the chemical properties of cleaning ingredients, and preformed occupational hygiene observational analyses in order to determine the occupational exposures of cleaning products used for common cleaning tasks in hospitals.
The investigators found a variety of different chemical compounds used for different tasks in the hospitals. Importantly, the authors concluded "There is evidence of exposures to respiratory and dermal irritants and sensitizers from cleaning products" and that "Hazardous exposures related to cleaning products are an important public health concern because these exposures impact not only cleaning workers, but also other occupants in the building."
Have you ever wondered why your asthma flares when in a certain building? It may be that while with good intentions, some sort of cleaning product is making your asthma worse.
What do you think? Have you ever noticed that your asthma tends to flare in certain building or that you have to use your rescue inhaler more? Leave a comment or go to the forum to join the discussion.
