Asthma & Household Cleaning Products
Photo by: Thomas Widmann
Monoethanolamine (MEA), a surfactant found in some laundry detergents, all-purpose cleaners and floor cleaners and is a known inducer of occupational asthma
Ammonium quaternary compounds, disinfectants found in some disinfectant sprays and toilet cleaners that have been identified as inducers of occupational asthma
Phthalates, carriers for fragrance in glass cleaners, deodorizers, laundry detergents and fabric softners, and are linked to increased allergic symptoms and asthma in children
Could these chemicals found in common cleaning products be exacerbating your asthma?
Asthma is a growing health condition in the United States, particularly among children
- The incidence of asthma is rising in the U. S. An estimated 20 million people, including 6.1 million children, have asthma.[1] Asthma accounts for more than 14 million outpatient clinic visits and nearly 2 million emergency room visits each year.[2]
- Asthma is the most common serious chronic childhood disease, and is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization of children under age 15.
- A 2004 report from the National Center for Health Statistics states that the incidence of asthma among preschool-aged children rose by 160% between 1980 and 1994, [3] accounting for 14 million missed school days each year and $3.2 million in treatment expenses.[4]
- According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 9 million children (12.5% of children, or one out of 13) under 18 years of age in the United States have had asthma diagnosed at some time in their lives. (no reference in report either)
Cleaning product use has been shown to exacerbate or increase the incidence of asthma and respiratory effects in children
- A 2004 study in the United Kingdom published in the journal Thorax[5] found that frequent use of household products was associated with persistent wheezing among pre-school age children.
- Other recent studies have shown that exposure to household cleaning chemicals increases the likelihood of asthma among children.[6]
- Past studies have also shown that institutional cleaning chemicals used in schools have impacts on asthma and other respiratory problems in school age children.[7]
The incidence of occupational asthma in cleaning workers provides cause for concern for household cleaning products
Photo by: Brandy Lintz
While there is scant research available on asthma in individuals caused by the cleaning products they use in their homes, research on the incidence of occupational asthma among cleaning workers clearly demonstrates a link with exposure to cleaning chemicals.
- A January 2001 study published by the American Journal of Industrial Medicine reported that janitorial workers have twice the rate of occupational asthma than other workers.[8]
- In New York, a study of urban minority asthma sufferers revealed that 61% of individuals working in janitorial jobs reported exacerbations of their asthma symptoms associated with their workplace.
- In Spain, several asthma studies of more than 4,000 women highlight the impacts of working in the domestic cleaning industry. One study found that women who did (or had done) domestic cleaning work had a much higher prevalence of asthma than women who had never done domestic cleaning work. Researchers concluded that 25% of asthma cases seen in study participants were linked to domestic cleaning work.[9]
Download WVE's fact sheet: Asthma and Respiratory Disorders (pdf)
What You Can Do A list of resources to help you protect the health of your family
Take Action! Demand that companies label their products and take harmful chemicals out of their cleaners
Read Household Hazards, WVE’s report on the potential hazards of chemicals in cleaning products
Return to the main cleaning products campaign page
Support this ongoing work by making a financial contribution to WVE today
Sources
[1] US EPA (2006). Asthma Facts. Indoor Environments Division, Office of Air and Radiation
May 2006. Available at: www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_fact_sheet_en.pdf
[2] INFORM, Inc. (2006). Cleaning for School Health: Asthmagens in Institutional Cleaning Products. Available at: www.informinc.org/fs_chp_Asthmagens%20in%20Institutional%20Cleaning%20FINAL.pdf
[3] Mannino, D. et al (1998). Surveillance 1995. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1998;47(SS-
1):1-28.
[4] US EPA (2006). Asthma Facts. Indoor Environments Division, Office of Air and Radiation, May 2006 www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_fact_sheet_en.pdf
[5] Sherriff, A. et al. (2005). Frequent use of chemical household products is associated with persistent wheezing in pre-school age children. Thorax 2005; 60:45-49.
[6] Rumchev, K. et al. (2004). Association of domestic exposure to volatile organic compounds with asthma in young children. Thorax 2004; 59: 746-751.
[7] Inform, Inc. (2006). Cleaning for School Health: Asthmagens in Institutional Cleaning Products . INFORM, Inc. 2006, Available at: www.informinc.org.
[8] F. Reinishc, R.J. Harrison, S. Cussler et al. (2001). Physician Reports of Work-Related
Asthma in California 1993-1996. American Journal of Industrial Medicine 39, 1 (January 2001): 72-83.
[9] M Medina-Ramón, J P Zock, et al. (2003). Asthma symptoms in women employed in
domestic cleaning: a community based study. Thorax 2003;58:950-954.
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