Cleaning is as harmful as smoking

Norwegian researchers find that a significant exposure to household products is equivalent to smoking 20 packs a year.
  

The emanation that emanates from household products is dangerous, it turned out. But how far is lung function affected? Norwegian researchers publish a study on the misdeeds of the household. And among the alarming findings, research shows that women are significantly more affected.

Women working as cleaners suffer lung damage "comparable to the smoking of just under 20 packets a year".

Decline in Pulmonary Function

Housework may involve exposure to chemical agents that have adverse effects on the respiratory system. Researchers warn of an increased risk of asthma and respiratory symptoms in professional cleaners and people doing regular housework. The study does not specify the long-term consequences of this exposure.

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"We were afraid that such chemicals, causing regular damage to the respiratory tract day after day, year after year, can accelerate the rate of decline in lung function that occurs with age, "said Cecile Svanes, professor at the Center for International Health at the University of Bergen and co-author of the study.

Norwegian researchers used data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). 6,235 people between the ages of 20 and 40 were followed between 1992 and 2012. The average age of the participants was 34 years old.

Men much less affected

The maximum amount of air expired in one second, called FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second), is one of the criteria badyzed. The FEV1 of women who regularly clean the household decreased by 22 milliliters per year, compared to 18.6 milliliters per year for women who did not clean. Household professionals are naturally the most affected.

The authors of the study badume that the decrease in lung function is due to the irritation caused by most cleaning chemicals on the mucous membranes lining the airways, resulting in persistent changes in the airways.

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Men, cleaning or not, would not not impacted. The researchers provide several explanations. First, there were only 57 men in the study, compared with 293 women. They were also less likely than women to report cleaning their homes. 46% of the 2,932 men said that they had a household activity at home, compared to 85% of the 3,298 women.

Another explanation, the men who do the housework would have been compared to men exposed to even more harmful substances. And finally last explanation, women would be more sensitive to these products, "as reported for […] tobacco smoke and […] wood dust, for which studies have shown that less exposure in women is enough to develop a disease, "say the researchers.