Associations (unadjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals) between asthma/chronic bronchitis symptoms, and the frequency of use of cleaning products
| Cleaning product | Current use (n = 195) | OR (95% CI) associated with exposure level† | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects (%) | Median freq.* (times/year) | Intermediate | High | |
| *Median frequency among women reporting current use of cleaning product. | ||||
| †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. | ||||
| ‡Product used directly as commercially available. | ||||
| §Product diluted in a bucket of water before being used. | ||||
| Irritant products; used undiluted‡ | ||||
| Bleach | 82 | 260 | 1.9 (0.7 to 5.0) | 2.4 (1.0 to 6.1) |
| Ammonia | 16 | 14 | 3.1 (1.2 to 8.0) | |
| Hydrochloric acid | 30 | 6 | 2.2 (0.9 to 5.3) | |
| Irritant products; used diluted§ | ||||
| Bleach | 90 | 312 | 1.6 (0.7 to 4.0) | 2.3 (0.9 to 5.4) |
| Ammonia | 56 | 52 | 0.8 (0.4 to 1.7) | |
| Hydrochloric acid | 11 | 12 | 1.6 (0.5 to 5.5) | |
| Sprays or atomisers | ||||
| For glass cleaning | 90 | 232 | 0.6 (0.2 to 1.5) | 1.7 (0.7 to 3.7) |
| For degreasing | 84 | 103 | 1.3 (0.5 to 3.3) | 2.6 (1.1 to 6.0) |
| For furniture cleaning | 72 | 116 | 1.6 (0.7 to 3.9) | 1.7 (0.7 to 4.0) |
| For floor mopping | 47 | 104 | 0.7 (0.3 to 1.4) | |
| Insecticides | 42 | 34 | 1.3 (0.6 to 2.8) | |
| For oven cleaning | 39 | 20 | 1.2 (0.5 to 2.5) | |
| For air refreshing | 30 | 84 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.4) | |
| For ironing | 27 | 52 | 0.6 (0.3 to 1.5) | |
| For cleaning carpets, rugs, or curtains | 15 | 6 | 2.0 (0.6 to 7.0) | |
| Other products | ||||
| Detergents | 100 | 364 | 1.4 (0.6 to 3.0) | 0.6 (0.2 to 1.5) |
| Liquid multi-use cleaning products | 95 | 364 | 0.6 (0.3 to 1.3) | 0.4 (0.2 to 1.0) |
| Decalcifiers | 70 | 52 | 0.9 (0.4 to 2.1) | 1.2 (0.5 to 2.7) |
| Stain removers | 35 | 52 | 0.9 (0.4 to 2.0) | |
| Polishes, waxes | 34 | 52 | 0.9 (0.4 to 2.0) | |
| Drain cleansing agents | 23 | 3 | 0.0 (–) | |
| Dry cleaning foams | 19 | 4 | 2.0 (0.6 to 7.0) | |