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Study links household cleaning sprays to asthma
Study links household cleaning sprays to asthma
[Date: 2007-10-12]
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=28504
Using household cleaning sprays and air fresheners has been linked to an
increased risk of asthma by an international team of researchers. The
findings have implications for clinicians, public health authorities and
the companies which manufacture these products.
The work, which was partly funded by the EU, is published in the American
Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Although previous
studies have found increased levels of respiratory problems in
professional cleaners, this is the first study to demonstrate a similar
impact in non-professionals.
The scientists drew on data from the European Community Respiratory Health
Survey (ECRHS), a large-scale epidemiological study of airway diseases
which covered over 3,500 people in 10 European countries. A follow-up
study, ECRHS II, involved assessments of asthma, wheezing and allergy and
an interview during which participants were asked to report the number of
times per week they used cleaning products.
The researchers found that using cleaning sprays at least weekly was
associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms. Furthermore, the
risk of developing asthma increased with the frequency of cleaning and the
number of different sprays used. On average people regularly exposed to
cleaning sprays were 30% to 50% more likely to develop asthma than others.
The effect held true even when the scientists excluded homemakers and
people who had worked professionally as cleaners. Products which seemed to
have a particularly strong effect were air fresheners, furniture cleaners
and glass cleaners.
'Our findings are consistent with occupational epidemiologic studies in
which an increased asthma risk was related to professional use of sprays
among both domestic and nondomestic cleaning women,' write the
researchers.
They calculated that as many as one in seven adult asthma cases could be
attributed to common spray use. 'This indicates a relevant contribution of
spray use to the burden of asthma in adults who do the cleaning in their
homes,' the scientists state.
The study did not investigate how the products concerned could cause
asthma, but the scientists put forward a number of possible explanations.
These include the possibility that asthma is partially irritant-induced;
that sprays contain sensitisers that are specific to asthma; and that an
inflammatory response is involved. The authors emphasise the need for
future research to focus on the extent and mechanism of the respiratory
toxicity associated with the products.
According to the scientists, the use of sprays was common in all the
countries covered by the study, and market trends show a general increase
of these products in Europe. Furthermore, as Kenneth Rosenman of Michigan
State University points out in an accompanying editorial, maintaining a
clean home is widely recommended as a key component of asthma management.
'The ubiquitous use and exposure to cleaning products emphasise the
importance of clinicians being aware of the potential for respiratory
toxicity,' he warns. 'In addition, there is the need for researchers to
conduct further studies to elucidate both the extent and mechanism of the
respiratory toxicity associated with such products. Finally, the
industrial producers and governmental regulators must improve the
toxological testing of these products.'
- - - -
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007 Oct 15;176(8):735-41.
The use of household cleaning sprays and adult asthma: an international
longitudinal study.
Zock JP et al
CREAL/IMIM, Dr. Aiguader 88, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain. jpzock@imim.es
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/176/8/735
Rationale: Cleaning work and professional use of certain cleaning products
have been associated with asthma, but respiratory effects of
nonprofessional home cleaning have rarely been studied. Objectives: To
investigate the risk of new-onset asthma in relation to the use of common
household cleaners. Methods: Within the follow-up of the European
Community Respiratory Health Survey in 10 countries, we identified 3,503
persons doing the cleaning in their homes and who were free of asthma at
baseline. Frequency of use of 15 types of cleaning products was obtained
in a face-to-face interview at follow-up. We studied the incidence of
asthma defined as physician diagnosis and as symptoms or medication usage
at follow-up. Associations between asthma and the use of cleaning products
were evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards or
log-binomial regression analysis. Measurements and Main Results: The use
of cleaning sprays at least weekly (42% of participants) was associated
with the incidence of asthma symptoms or medication (relative risk [RR],
1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1.99) and wheeze (RR, 1.39; 95%
CI, 1.06-1.80). The incidence of physician-diagnosed asthma was higher
among those using sprays at least 4 days per week (RR, 2.11; 95% CI,
1.15-3.89). These associations were consistent for subgroups and not
modified by atopy. Dose-response relationships (P < 0.05) were apparent
for the frequency of use and the number of different sprays. Risks were
predominantly found for the commonly used glass-cleaning, furniture, and
air-refreshing sprays. Cleaning products not applied in spray form were
not associated with asthma. Conclusions: Frequent use of common household
cleaning sprays may be an important risk factor for adult asthma.
PMID: 17585104
- - - -
For more information, please visit:
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine:
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/
European Community Respiratory Health Survey:
http://www.ecrhs.org
Category: Project Results
Data Source Provider: American Thoracic Society
Document Reference:
Zock, J-P et al. (2007) The use of household cleaning sprays and asthma -
an international longitudinal study. American Journal of Respiratory and
Critical Care Medicine, 176: 735-741.
Programme or Service Acronym: FRAMEWORK 5C, LIFE QUALITY
Subject Index: Coordination, Cooperation; Medicine, Health; Safety;
Scientific Research
RCN: 28504
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