Women beware! Cleaning chemicals can damage your lungs

Representational PictureWomen who clean at home or at work face increased lung function decline over time as compared to women who doniquestt according to a study In Cleaning at Home and at Work in Relation to Lung Function Decline and Airway Obstruction researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway analyzed data from 6235 participants in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey The participants whose average age was 34 when they enrolled were followed for more than 20 yearsWhile the shortterm effects of cleaning chemicals on asthma are becoming increasingly well documented we lack knowledge of the longterm impact said senior study author Cecile Svanes MD PhD a professor at the universitys Centre for International Health We feared that such chemicals by steadily causing a little damage to the airways day after day year after year might accelerate the rate of lung function decline that occurs with ageThe study found that compared to women not engaged in cleaningForced expiratory volume in one second FEV1 or the amount of air a person can forcibly exhale in one second declined 36 milliliters mlyear faster in women who cleaned at home and 39 mlyear faster in women who worked as cleanersForced vital capacity FVC or the total amount of air a person can forcibly exhale declined 43 mlyear faster in women who cleaned at home and 71 mlyear faster in women who worked as cleanersThe authors found that the accelerated lung function decline in the women working as cleaners was comparable to smoking somewhat less than 20 pack yearsThat level of lung impairment was surprising at first said lead study author Oslashistein Svanes a doctoral student also at the Department for Clinical Science However when you think of inhaling small particles from cleaning agents that are meant for cleaning the floor and not your lungs maybe it is not so surprising after allThe authors speculate that the decline in lung function is attributable to the irritation that most cleaning chemicals cause on the mucous membranes lining the airways which over time results in persistent changes in the airways and airway remodeling The study did not find that the ratio of FEV1 to FVC declined more rapidly in women who cleaned than in those who did not The metric is used when diagnosing and monitoring patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPDThe study did find that asthma was more prevalent in women who cleaned at home 123 percent or at work 137 percent compared to those who did not clean 96 percentThe study also did not find that men who cleaned either at home or at work experienced greater decline in FEV1 or FVC than men who did not The researchers took into account factors that might have biased the results including smoking history body mass index and educationStudy limitations include the fact that the study population included very few women who did not clean at home or work These women the authors wrote might constitute a selected socioeconomic group The number of men who worked as occupational cleaners was also small and their exposure to cleaning agents was likely different from that of women working as cleaning professionalsThe take home message of this study is that in the long run cleaning chemicals very likely cause rather substantial damage to your lungs Oslashistein Svanes said These chemicals are usually unnecessary microfiber cloths and water are more than enough for most purposesHe added that public health officials should strictly regulate cleaning products and encourage producers to develop cleaning agents that cannot be inhaled The findings have been published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care MedicineCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeverTrending Video