Regularly cleanse at home worsens lung function in women

Cleaning chemicals have a negative impact on the lungs

Surely, most people try to keep their household as clean and germ-free as possible. However, this can lead to serious health problems. Researchers have now found that when women work as cleaners or regularly use cleansing sprays or other cleansing products at home, this results in a greater decline in lung function.

Researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway found that regular use of cleaning sprays or other cleansing products reduces lung function. The physicians published the findings of their study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of the American Thoracic Society.

When women regularly use cleansing products, it significantly damages their lungs. (Picture: Picture-Factory / fotolia.com)

The data of 6,235 participants were evaluated

The experts examined the relationship between pulmonary function loss and airway obstruction with the use of home-cleaning products. To do so, they analyzed data from a total of 6,235 participants in the so-called European Community Respiratory Health Survey. The average age of participants was 34 when enrolling. The subjects were medically monitored over a period of more than 20 years.

Cleansing chemicals damage the respiratory tract day after day

While the short-term effects of cleaning chemicals on asthma are becoming increasingly well documented, knowledge about the long-term effects is lacking, says study author Professor Dr. Cecile Svanes from the University of Bergen. It is to be feared that such chemicals constantly damage the respiratory tract every day. Over the years, this seems to accelerate the decline in lung function in old age.

Forced expiratory volume was reduced faster

The forced exhalation volume in one second (FEV1), or the amount of air that a person can exhale in one second, has fallen 3.6 milliliters (ml) / year faster for women who regularly cleanse their homes, compared to non-cleansing women , As a cleaning workers working women even recorded a 3.9 ml / year faster reduction. The total amount of air a person can breathe out was 4.3 ml / year faster for home-cleansing women and 7.1 ml / year for women who worked as cleaners.

Decrease comparable to smoking 20 packs of cigarettes a year

The accelerated decline in lung function in women who work as cleaners is comparable to smoking a little less than 20 packs of cigarettes a year, the authors explain. This level of pulmonary dysfunction is initially surprising, but considering that small particles are inhaled from cleansers that are normally designed to cleanse the floor, the effects seem quite plausible, the experts add.

Cleaning chemicals cause irritation of the mucous membranes

The medical community speculates that the decline in lung function is due to the irritation that most chemicals cause to purify the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. This can lead to persistent changes in the airways over time.

Cleansing women were more likely to suffer from asthma

The study also found home-based women were more likely to suffer from asthma (12.3 percent). Women working as cleaners suffered from 13.7 percent of asthma while non-domestic women only had a risk of 9.6 percent.

Men seemingly unaffected

The investigation did not find that men at home or at work had a greater decline in FEV1 or FVC compared to non-cleansing men.

There were limitations in the study?

The study restrictions include the fact that the study population included very few women who did not clean at home or at work. These women could form a special socio-economic group, explain the authors. The number of men who work as cleaners was also low.

Cleaning chemicals cause enormous damage to the lungs

The message of the study is that in the long run, cleaning chemicals are very likely to cause considerable damage to your lungs, say the authors. Such chemicals are usually unnecessary, microfibre cloths and water are more than enough for most purposes, the experts add. Public health officials say they should regulate cleaning products more rigorously. Manufacturers must be encouraged to develop cleansers that can not be inhaled. (As)