Work-Related Asthma: Exposure to Cleaning Products and Disinfectants

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) describes work-related asthma (occupational asthma) as a lung disease caused or made worse by exposures to substances in the workplace. Common exposures include chemicals, dust, mold, animals and plants.

Exposure can occur from both inhalation (breathing) and skin contact. Asthma symptoms may start at work or within several hours after leaving work and may occur with no clear pattern. People who never had asthma can develop asthma due to workplace exposures. People who have had asthma for years may find that their condition worsens due to workplace exposures. Both of these situations are considered work-related asthma.

Occupational exposures to cleaning products and disinfectants have been linked to work-related asthma. The Occupational Health Branch of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has published information on this important topic for employers and employees.

The agency’s Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program reports that it has found that nearly 10% of all work-related asthma cases were caused by exposure to cleaning products. Most of these cases had new asthma that started only after they began work — the exposures caused their asthma. About one in five people (almost 20%) used cleaning products directly, such as janitors. The other 80% of workers attributed their asthma symptoms to cleaning products used nearby.

Regarding disinfectants and sanitizers, the agency also reports that some ingredients found in these products can trigger work-related asthma in addition to also causing new asthma. They suggest, “Avoiding ingredients that can cause asthma, like bleach (sodium hypochlorite), quaternary ammonium compounds (benzalkonium chlorides), and glutaraldehyde will help prevent people from getting asthma.”

These are just a few things to know about occupational exposures to cleaning products and disinfectants and their association with work-related asthma. To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.

Clark Seif Clark http://www.csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. http://www.emsl.com
LA Testing http://www.latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental http://www.zimmetry.com