Cleaning and asthma characteristics in women

Dumas, Orianne; Siroux, Valérie; Luu, Frédéric; Nadif, Rachel; Zock, Jan‐Paul; Kauffmann, F.; Moual, Nicole Le

doi:10.1002/ajim.22244

Cited by 22 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…To minimize risk of exacerbations and accelerated lung function decline in workers, experts have called for research on occupational exposures contributing to poor asthma control [6]. Our results are consistent with a few recent studies showing that exposure to occupational asthmagens [5, 26, 27], and in particular cleaning agents [5, 28], are associated with uncontrolled asthma. Mechanisms by which disinfectants and cleaning products impact respiratory health remain unclear and require further research [11].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Occupational exposure to disinfectants and asthma control in US nurses

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Disinfectant use has been associated with adverse respiratory effects among healthcare workers. However, the specific harmful agents have not been elucidated. We examined the association between occupational exposure to disinfectants and asthma control in the Nurses’ Health Study II, a large cohort of female nurses. Nurses with asthma were invited in 2014 to complete two questionnaires on their current occupation and asthma (response rate: 80%). Asthma control was defined by the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Exposure to major disinfectants was evaluated by a Job-Task-Exposure Matrix (JTEM). Analyses included 4,102 nurses with asthma (mean age: 58 years). Asthma control was poor (ACT=16–19) in 12% of nurses and very poor (≤15) in 6%. Use of disinfectants to clean medical instruments (19% exposed) was associated with poorly (odds ratio 1.37; 95%CI: [1.05–1.79]) and very poorly (1.88 [1.38–2.56]) controlled asthma (P-trend 0.004, after adjustment for potential confounders). Using JTEM estimates, exposure to formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, hypochlorite bleach, hydrogen peroxide and enzymatic cleaners was associated with poor asthma control (all P-trend<0.05); exposure to quaternary ammonium compounds and alcohol was not. Use of several disinfectants was associated with poor asthma control. Our findings suggest targets for future efforts to prevent worsening of asthma control in healthcare workers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Occupational exposure to disinfectants and asthma control in US nurses

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our findings did not suggest an association between exposure to cleaning products/disinfectants and late‐onset asthma, as no difference in the association by age or menopausal status was observed. Previous studies have suggested a predominant role of irritant agents in cleaning products/disinfectants, and an association with nonallergic asthma . In the current study, we did not observe an association with incident asthma either with or without allergy.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Occupational exposure to disinfectants and asthma incidence in U.S. nurses: A prospective cohort study

Dumas

Boggs

Quinot

et al. 2019

American J Industrial Med

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Exposure to disinfectants among healthcare workers has been associated with respiratory health effects, in particular, asthma. However, most studies are cross-sectional and the role of disinfectant exposures in asthma development requires longitudinal studies. We investigated the association between occupational exposure to disinfectants and incident asthma in a large cohort of U.S. female nurses. Methods: The Nurses' Health Study II is a prospective cohort of 116 429 female nurses enrolled in 1989. Analyses included 61 539 participants who were still in a nursing job and with no history of asthma in 2009 (baseline; mean age: 55 years). During 277 744 person-years of follow-up (2009-2015), 370 nurses reported incident physician-diagnosed asthma. Occupational exposure was evaluated by questionnaire and a Job-Task-Exposure Matrix (JTEM). We examined the association between disinfectant exposure and subsequent asthma development, adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, smoking status, and body mass index.Results: Weekly use of disinfectants to clean surfaces only (23% exposed) or to clean medical instruments (19% exposed) was not associated with incident asthma (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] for surfaces, 1.12 [0.87-1.43]; for instruments, 1.13 [0.87-1.48]). No association was observed between high-level exposure to specific disinfectants/cleaning products evaluated by the JTEM (formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol quats, or enzymatic cleaners) and asthma incidence. Conclusions:In a population of late career nurses, we observed no significant association between exposure to disinfectants and asthma incidence. A potential role of disinfectant exposures in asthma development warrants further study among healthcare workers at earlier career stage to limit the healthy worker effect. K E Y W O R D Sasthma, cleaning products, disinfection, healthcare workers, occupational asthma

show abstract

“…Flour and isocyanates are the most commonly known asthmagens [7]. Significant associations have been observed between cleaning products and more severe asthma; asthma with negative skin prick test; low IgE levels; and low blood eosinophil counts, which is consistent with the hypothesis of a nonallergic mechanism [86]. Significant associations have been observed between cleaning products and more severe asthma; asthma with negative skin prick test; low IgE levels; and low blood eosinophil counts, which is consistent with the hypothesis of a nonallergic mechanism [86].…”

Section: High-risk Jobsmentioning

confidence: 80%