Association of use of cleaning products with respiratory health in a Canadian birth cohort

Parks, Jaclyn; McCandless, Lawrence C.; Dharma, Christoffer; Brook, Jeffrey R.; Turvey, Stuart E.; Mandhane, Piush J.; Becker, Allan B.; Kozyrskyj, Anita L.; Azad, Meghan B.; Moraes, Theo J.; Lefebvre, Diana L.; Sears, Malcolm R.; Subbarao, Padmaja; Scott, James A.; Takaro, Tim K.

doi:10.1503/cmaj.190819

Cited by 38 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…However, there are studies showing that using N95 or KF94 masks increases the risk for chronic disease patients with impaired pulmonary function 6 and that frequent disinfectant usage may affect the respiratory tract of newborns, increasing the risk of pediatric asthma. 7 Zok et al showed that weekly usage of air fresheners may also be a risk factor of severe asthma onset. 8 Considering the fact that 60–80% of allergic asthma cases involve pulmonary asthma, 9 minimizing exposure to allergens should be the most effective method to control asthma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric Asthma Situation in Chengdu, China, During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

Zhang¹,

Wang²,

Huang³

et al. 2021

JAA

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Background: To tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate viral transmission, mainland China has implemented various disease prevention measures and arrangements. We hypothesize that these measures may be pose challenges to the management of pediatric asthma. Here, we studied the situation of pediatric asthma in Chengdu during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared the pediatric asthma situation before so as to provide a reference for designing effective management plan for pediatric asthma patients in the future facing the outbreak of epidemic. Methods: An observational study was done to compare the pediatric asthma situation in Chengdu from 2017 to 2019 to the situation under COVID-19 pandemic. Asthma incidence, severe asthma attack, air quality, temperature, and patient follow-up were examined. Results: The number of monthly asthma cases decreased significantly in February 2020. The number of asthma cases in 2017-2019 positively correlated with levels of particulate matter PM 2.5 (p = 0.006) and PM 10 (p = 0.005), while it negatively correlated with temperature (p = 0.048). No correlation was identified in 2020. A higher rate of severe asthma attack cases (9.69%) was observed among asthma patients in 2020 (p = 0.014). Differences were identified between the monthly severe asthma attack during the period 2017-2020 (p<0.001). The rate of severe asthma attack cases peaked in June and September 2020. The percentage of patients who failed to undergo pulmonary function tests was 34.5% in 2020, remarkably higher than in the previous 3 years (p<0.001). Conclusion:The situation and management of pediatric asthma during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic differed from those in previous years, with more emphasis placed on disease prevention practices and facilities. To design future pediatric asthma management practice, the environmental and psychological impact on asthma management should also be considered. Local areas should make good use of telemedicine to manage pediatric asthma effectively.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric Asthma Situation in Chengdu, China, During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

Zhang¹,

Wang²,

Huang³

et al. 2021

JAA

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“…These include improvements in immune health (Li et al 2010;Rook, 2013), mental health (Birch et al 2020;Callaghan et al 2020), and cardiovascular health (Yao et al 2020;Yeager et al 2020). In the alternative direction (i.e., spending more time in natural environments which may help to establish more positive attitudes towards microbes), our positive attitudes towards microbes could conceivably reduce the likelihood that we carry out mass (non-targeted) sterilisation of our local environments, which could also have important implications for our health (Jun et al 2018;Parks et al 2020;Prescott, 2020;Renz and Skevaki, 2020). This relationship could also be non-dichotomous (or potentially even a virtuous loop) in the sense that our positive attitudes towards microbes may predispose us to spend more time in nature--an act that may enhance our positive attitudes towards microbes, and the feedback continues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Germaphobia! Does our Relationship with, and Knowledge of Biodiversity Affect our Attitudes Towards Microbes?

Robinson

Cameron

Jørgensen

2021

Preprint

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Germaphobia - a pathological aversion to microorganisms - could be contributing to an explosion in human immune-related disorders via mass sterilisation of surfaces and reduced exposure to biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity and our connectedness to nature, along with poor microbial literacy may be augmenting the negative consequences of germaphobia on ecosystem health. In this study, we created an online questionnaire to acquire data on attitudes towards, and knowledge of microbes. We collected data on nature connectedness and interactions with nature and explored the relationships between these variables. We found a significant association between attitudes towards microbes and both duration and frequency of visits to natural environments. A higher frequency of visits to nature per week, and a longer duration spent in nature per visit, significantly associated with positive attitudes towards microbes. We found no association between nature connectedness and attitudes towards microbes. We found a significant relationship between knowledge of "lesser known" microbial groups (e.g., identifying that fungi, algae, protozoa, and archaea are microbes) and positive attitudes towards microbes. However, we also found that people who correctly identified viruses as being microbes expressed less positive views of microbes overall - this could potentially be attributed to a COVID-19 effect. Our results suggest that basic microbial literacy and nature engagement may be important in reducing/preventing germaphobia. The results also suggest that a virus-centric phenomenon (e.g., COVID-19) could increase broader germaphobia. As the rise of immune-related disorders and mental health conditions have been linked to germaphobia, reduced biodiversity, and non-targeted sterilisation, our findings point to a feasible strategy to potentially help ameliorate these negative consequences. A greater emphasis on microbial literacy and promoting time spent in nature could be useful in promoting resilience in human health and more positive/constructive attitudes towards the foundations of our ecosystems - the microorganisms.

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“…Nazaroff and Weschler ( 2004 ) synthesize evidence of adverse health outcomes linked to chemical exposures from the use of cleaning products and air fresheners. In addition, use of fragranced cleaning products and air disinfectants has been associated with migraine headaches (e.g., Silva-Néto et al 2014 ; Steinemann and Nematollahi 2020 ), asthma attacks and exacerbations (e.g., Zock et al 2007 ; Weinberg et al 2017 ; Steinemann and Goodman 2019 ), childhood wheeze (e.g., Parks et al, 2020 ; Sherriff et al 2005 ), and additional health problems related to neurological, gastrointestinal, respiratory, dermatological, and immune systems (e.g., Steinemann 2019a ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pandemic products and volatile chemical emissions

Steinemann

Nematollahi

Rismanchi

et al. 2020

Air Qual Atmos Health

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The recent pandemic (COVID-19) has seen a sweeping and surging use of products intended to clean and disinfect, such as air sprays, hand sanitizers, and surface cleaners, many of which contain fragrance. However, exposure to fragranced cleaning products has been associated with adverse effects on human health. Products can emit a range of volatile chemicals, including some classified as hazardous, but relatively few ingredients are disclosed to the public. Thus, relatively little is known about the specific emissions from these products. This study investigates the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from "pandemic products" that are being used frequently and extensively in society. In addition, among these emissions, this study identifies potentially hazardous compounds, compares so-called green and regular versions of products, and examines whether ingredients are disclosed to the public. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, 26 commonly used pandemic products, including 13 regular and 13 so-called green versions, were analyzed for their volatile emissions. Product types included hand sanitizers, air disinfectants, multipurpose cleaners, and handwashing soap. All products were fragranced. The analyses found the products collectively emitted 399 VOCs with 127 VOCs classified as potentially hazardous. All products emitted potentially hazardous compounds. Comparing regular products and green products, no significant difference was found in the emissions of the most prevalent compounds. Further, among the 399 compounds emitted, only 4% of all VOCs and 11% of potentially hazardous VOCs were disclosed on any product label or safety data sheet. This study reveals that pandemic products can generate volatile emissions that could pose risks to health, that could be unrecognized, and that could be reduced, such as by using fragrance-free versions of products.

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Association of use of cleaning products with respiratory health in a Canadian birth cohort

Cited by 38 publications

References 40 publications

Pediatric Asthma Situation in Chengdu, China, During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

Pediatric Asthma Situation in Chengdu, China, During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

Germaphobia! Does our Relationship with, and Knowledge of Biodiversity Affect our Attitudes Towards Microbes?

Pandemic products and volatile chemical emissions

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