Labour Research April 2018

Health & Safety Matters

Cleaning spray danger


Regularly using cleaning sprays for 20 years has the same effect on lung function as smoking 20 cigarettes a day over the same period, according to new research by Norway’s University of Bergen. 


The European Trade Union Institute highlighted the research, which analysed data from more than 6,000 people. Unions have long pointed to the “double burden” many women face from being exposed to the same hazards at work and at home. 


The study’s findings, which also show that cleaners have a 40% higher risk of developing asthma than others, were published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

https://www.etui.org/Topics/Health-Safety-working-conditions/News-list/Cleaning-products-as-bad-for-lungs-as-smoking-20-cigarettes-a-day-scientists-warn