Women Using Harsh Cleaners Suffer Lung Damage

A new study has discovered that cleaning has a disastrous effect on women’s lungs. The research indicated that, while men seem unaffected, cleaning can have the same effect on a woman’s lungs as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Specifically, it was the cleaning supplies and the inhalation of those fumes that adversely affected women in the study.

A Long-Term Study Yields Surprising Results

The study looked at a sampling of 6,235 men and women from 22 different facilities and followed them over the course of two decades. Individuals were asked to respond to a few questions to help focus on the intent of the study. Participants were asked whether they just cleaned their own homes, or if they worked as professional cleaners.

The research found that the frequency of exposure played only a small part in the contamination of lung tissue. Whether they cleaned just their own homes or worked as cleaners, the female test subjects had an increased rate of inhibited lung function. The decrease in lung capacity was similar to that which would result from smoking 20 cigarettes per day over the course of 10 to 20 years.

While exposure to chemical cleaners posed a significant “risk to respiratory health” for women, the study could not find similar damage to the lungs of male participants. Even men who cleaned professionally did not exhibit the same lung damage as women.

Why Do Cleaning Supplies Negatively Impact Lung Function in Women?

Researchers at the University of Bergen, where the study was conducted, said the primary culprits in the cleaning supplies were ammonia and bleach. While that may not be a shock, which was surprising to those involved in the study was that there was no difference between the effects of sprays versus liquid cleaners. While researchers expected sprays to have a stronger impact, they found no distinctive difference between the two types of cleaning supplies.

The study found that damage is accumulative over time, whether women-only clean their own homes or clean as a part of an occupation. Prolonged exposure can instigate cleaning-related asthma and cause inflammation in the lungs. As exposure continues, airways can become permanently damaged and lung capacity becomes significantly inhibited.

Harsh chemicals, such as ammonia and bleach, typically affect the lungs in two ways. First, they will irritate the lungs at the time of use, creating immediate breathing and respiratory difficulties. Secondly, the substances will scar lung tissue and create the prolonged damage that was observed in the women over the 20-year course of the study.

Looking at these results, researchers recommend only using harsher cleaning supplies when absolutely necessary. For most cleaning tasks, warm water and microfiber cloth are sufficient to do a thorough cleaning job. Bleach and ammonia shoulder be restricted to tougher jobs, such as sanitizing the toilet. By reducing the use of these chemicals, women can lessen the chances of causing permanent lung damage.

All of this can also increase the chance of heart attack, which you can read about here:
https://www.healthsoul.com/blog/heart-attack-in-women-how-is-it-different

Resources: 

• http://www.thoracic.org/about/newsroom/press-releases/resources/women-cleaners-lung-function.pdf