In 2018, a research team at the University of Bergen in Norway published one of the longest looks yet at cleaning and lung health. They followed 6,235 adults from 22 centres across Europe for about 20 years, testing their lungs three times along the way. The result made headlines around the world: women who cleaned for a living, or who did the cleaning at home, lost lung function faster than women who didn't.
If you look after a workplace, it's fair to wonder what that means for the products used in your building. Here's what the study found, what it didn't, and the practical steps worth taking.
What the study looked at
The data came from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, which recruited adults aged 20 to 44 in the early 1990s and followed them up twice over the next two decades. At each round, participants did a breathing test (spirometry). Partway through, they were also asked about cleaning: whether they did it at home, whether they worked as cleaners, and whether they used cleaning sprays or other cleaning products.
The researchers tracked two measures: how much air a person can blow out in the first second of a hard breath (known as FEV1), and how much they can blow out in total (FVC). Both drop naturally as we age. The question was whether they dropped faster in people who cleaned.
What it found
- Women who didn't clean lost about 18.5 mL of FEV1 a year, which reflects normal ageing.
- Women responsible for cleaning at home lost about 22.1 mL a year.
- Women working as cleaners lost about 22.4 mL a year.
- Both cleaning sprays and other cleaning products were linked with the faster decline.
A few millilitres a year sounds small, but it adds up over a working life. In an editorial published alongside the study in the same journal, two occupational health researchers noted that the size of the effect was comparable to smoking 10 to 20 cigarettes a day over the study period.
The study found no significant link in men, and no link with airway obstruction, the measure used to diagnose conditions like COPD.
What it doesn't tell us
- It shows a link, not proof of cause. It's an observational study. People reported their own cleaning habits, and the researchers didn't know exactly which products or ingredients were used.
- The result for men is uncertain. Only 57 men in the study worked as cleaners, and the editorial noted that may have been too few to show an effect.
- It studied the people doing the cleaning, not the staff and visitors who use a building afterwards.
- "Eco-friendly" isn't a guarantee. The editorial warned that many "green" or "eco-friendly" labels don't necessarily protect against effects on breathing.
Why sprays get singled out
Speaking to the University of Bergen after the study came out, the researchers explained that the tiny particles from cleaning sprays can stay in the air for hours and be breathed deep into the lungs. They suggested that for most everyday cleaning, microfibre cloths and water are enough.
The editorial went further, suggesting practical changes for anyone who cleans for a living: stop using spray products, mix products in well-ventilated areas or buy them ready to use, save stronger products for the jobs that need them, and train cleaners and employers about the risks.
What it means for your workplace
You don't need to become a chemist to act on this. If someone cleans your office, clinic or building, these are reasonable things to check:
- Ask what's used and how. Is product sprayed into the air, or applied to a cloth first? Is it ready to use, or mixed on site?
- Ask for the safety data sheets. Australia's work health and safety rules require a business that uses or stores hazardous chemicals to keep copies of their safety data sheets (SDS) at the workplace. It's reasonable to ask your cleaner for the SDS for anything used or stored at your site.
- Save the strong stuff for where it's needed. Disinfectants have their place, such as bathrooms, high-touch points and clinical areas, but not every surface needs the strongest product on the shelf.
- Keep the air moving. Good ventilation while cleaning is under way, and for a while afterwards, helps clear what's in the air.
- Clean when the building is quiet. Scheduling cleaning before opening or after close means staff and visitors aren't around while products are in use. It doesn't change what the cleaner breathes, so the points above still matter.
- Never mix products. Some combinations, like bleach and ammonia-based cleaners, give off toxic gas.
How we approach it at Clean Spaces
We bring our own equipment and use eco-friendly products, and we can schedule cleaning before opening or after close so it doesn't get in your team's way. As the editorial points out, a label on the bottle isn't the whole story, so how products are used matters as much as which ones are chosen. If you'd like to know what we'd use at your site, just ask when we quote.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you're worried about your breathing, talk to your GP.
Want a cleaning plan for your workplace, with the products and schedule explained up front?
Sources
- Svanes Ø, Bertelsen RJ, Lygre SHL, et al. Cleaning at home and at work in relation to lung function decline and airway obstruction. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2018;197(9):1157–1163.
- Cummings KJ, Virji MA. The long-term effects of cleaning on the lungs (editorial). American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2018;197(9):1099–1101.
- University of Bergen, via ScienceNorway. Household cleaners can be as bad as smoking for your lungs. 19 February 2018.
- Safe Work Australia. Safety data sheets.
Keep reading
Questions about the products used at your site?
Tell us about your workplace and Clean Spaces will put together a practical cleaning plan, with the schedule and products explained.