Better Health & Living: Article: Cleaning May Give You Asthma

Issue: July 2008

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Cleaning May Give You Asthma

Using spray cleaners in your home just once a week could raise your asthma risk

by Sarí Harrar

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Using spray cleaners in your home just once a week could raise your asthma risk by 30 to 50 percent, Spanish researchers say.

When scientists at Barcelona’s Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology reviewed the home-cleaning habits and health histories of 3,500 women and men, they found that those who spritzed while sprucing up their homes were more likely to have breathing problems—especially if they used air fresheners or furniture or glass cleaners. Studies had already found an association between lung health and cleaning products in professional housecleaners; this is the first to uncover it in people who do their own occasional cleaning.

No one’s sure what compound in sprays might damage lungs. Lead researcher Jan-Paul Zock, PhD, speculates that cleaners may simply irritate airways or trigger inflammation that could lead to swelling. He estimates that spray cleaners may play a role in one in seven cases of asthma.