Study also finds that chemicals are ‘usually unnecessary’
Latest research shows that household cleaning products significantly affect lung function among the women.
The study — by 6,000 people from Norway’s University of Bergen — shows that women who worked as cleaners or regularly use cleaning sprays for 20 years were found to have lung decline equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day, over the same period.
The study also found asthma was more prevalent in women who cleaned at home (12.3 per cent) or at work (13.7 per cent) compared to those who did not clean (9.6 per cent).
“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 all,” said lead author Øistein Svanes of the University of Bergen, Norway.
“These chemicals are usually unnecessary; microfibre cloths and water are more than enough for most purposes,” he added.
According to UK experts, people should keep their homes well ventilated and use liquid cleaners instead of sprays.
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