This article was produced and financed by University of Bergen
Household cleaners can be as bad as smoking for your lungs
Cleaners who have regularly used cleaning sprays over 20 years were found to have reduced lung function equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day over the same period.
”People who have worked as cleaners or done household cleaning for 20 years have reduced lung function equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day, for the same period of time,” says PHD-candidate Øistein Svanes, at the Department of Clinical Science, at the University of Bergen (UiB).
He is main author of a new study, recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Bad for lungs
He says his findings might not be surprising, when thinking about all the small particles that come with cleaning products.
The study also shows that cleaners have 40 per cent higher risk of developing asthma than others.
The research includes 6 000 participants, based on the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS).
"Use a water bucket"
Professor Cecilie Svanes at the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, UiB, supervisor of the study, says the cleaning sprays are the main problem.
”The small particles from the sprays can remain in the air for hours after cleaning. The small particles can travel deep into the lungs and cause infections, and ageing of the lungs,” Svanes explains.
“I would recommend using a bucket of water and soap when cleaning. You will not need a lot of chemicals after all, when cleaning. Microfibre cloths may be just as effective,” Cecile Svanes points out.
