Associations (unadjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals) between asthma/chronic bronchitis symptoms, and the frequency of performance of cleaning tasks
| Cleaning task | Current performance (n = 195) | OR (95% CI) associated with exposure level† | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects (%) | Median freq.* (times/year) | Intermediate | High | |
| *Median frequency among women reporting current performance of cleaning task. | ||||
| †n = 40 cases and 155 controls. Exposure levels in either two (fixed cut-off level of 12 times/year) or three (tertiles) categories; low exposure level was used as reference category. | ||||
| General | ||||
| Dusting | 100 | 364 | 1.2 (0.5 to 2.7) | 1.2 (0.5 to 2.8) |
| Mopping the floor | 99 | 364 | 2.8 (1.2 to 6.8) | 1.1 (0.4 to 3.1) |
| Cleaning windows or mirrors | 99 | 260 | 1.6 (0.7 to 4.0) | 1.9 (0.8 to 4.7) |
| Sweeping | 92 | 416 | 1.1 (0.5 to 2.4) | 0.9 (0.4 to 2.2) |
| Vacuuming | 91 | 180 | 0.6 (0.3 to 1.4) | 0.4 (0.2 to 1.0) |
| Carpet or rug beating | 35 | 52 | 1.0 (0.5 to 2.2) | |
| Kitchen cleaning | ||||
| Superficial kitchen cleaning | 100 | 468 | 0.6 (0.3 to 1.4) | 0.6 (0.2 to 1.4) |
| Cleaning the stove or the hob | 99 | 520 | 1.1 (0.5 to 2.7) | 0.5 (0.2 to 1.2) |
| Thorough kitchen cleaning | 99 | 24 | 2.2 (1.0 to 5.3) | 1.1 (0.4 to 2.9) |
| Thorough cleaning of the fridge | 99 | 14 | 0.9 (0.4 to 2.2) | 1.2 (0.5 to 2.8) |
| Washing dishes | 97 | 416 | 2.0 (0.8 to 5.1) | 2.3 (1.0 to 5.3) |
| Cleaning the microwave | 89 | 134 | 1.3 (0.5 to 3.0) | 0.9 (0.4 to 2.1) |
| Cleaning the oven | 85 | 24 | 2.0 (0.8 to 5.0) | 1.9 (0.8 to 4.7) |
| Bathroom cleaning | ||||
| Cleaning the bathroom | 100 | 468 | 1.1 (0.4 to 2.6) | 1.1 (0.5 to 2.5) |
| Cleaning the toilet bowl | 99 | 520 | 0.6 (0.2 to 1.4) | 1.1 (0.5 to 2.5) |
| Laundry | ||||
| Washing clothes by machine | 100 | 364 | 1.1 (0.5 to 2.6) | 0.6 (0.3 to 1.5) |
| Ironing | 99 | 208 | 0.5 (0.2 to 1.2) | 0.7 (0.3 to 1.6) |
| Washing clothes by hand | 63 | 104 | 0.9 (0.4 to 1.7) | |