Associations between the use of cleaning products and asthma and respiratory symptoms among current cleaners (N=761)
| n (%) | Current asthma | Wheeze without having a cold | Asthma score* | Chronic cough | |||||
| Pr (%) | OR (95% CI) | Pr (%) | OR (95% CI) | Mean | MR (95% CI) | Pr (%) | OR (95% CI) | ||
| Unexposed group A† | 70 (8) | 6 | 10 | 0.42 | 9 | ||||
| Unexposed group B‡ | 91 (11) | 8 | 5 | 0.41 | 10 | ||||
| Unexposed group C (reference)§ | 161 (19) | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0.42 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| Products | |||||||||
| Bleach | 588 (78) | 11 | 1.7 (0.8 to 3.5) | 11 | 2.0 (0.9 to 4.2) | 0.58 | 1.4 (0.9 to 2.2) | 13 | 1.4 (0.7 to 2.8) |
| Degreasers | 498 (76) | 12 | 1.7 (0.8 to 3.6) | 12 | 2.0 (0.9 to 4.2) | 0.63 | 1.6 (1.0 to 2.4) | 13 | 1.4 (0.7 to 2.8) |
| Multiple purposes | 475 (75) | 11 | 1.7 (0.8 to 3.5) | 12 | 1.9 (0.9 to 4.2) | 0.63 | 1.6 (1.0 to 2.5) | 13 | 1.4 (0.7 to 2.7) |
| Glass cleaners | 463 (74) | 10 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.4) | 11 | 1.9 (0.9 to 4.1) | 0.57 | 1.4 (0.9 to 2.2) | 13 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.1) |
| Perfumed products | 420 (72) | 11 | 1.7 (0.8 to 3.5) | 11 | 2.0 (0.9 to 4.4) | 0.59 | 1.5 (1.0 to 2.4) | 14 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.2) |
| Air fresheners | 375 (70) | 12 | 1.7 (0.8 to 3.7) | 11 | 2.0 (0.9 to 4.6) | 0.58 | 1.5 (1.0 to 2.4) | 12 | 1.4 (0.7 to 2.7) |
| Mop products | 340 (61) | 10 | 1.1 (0.5 to 2.1) | 11 | 1.8 (0.9 to 3.8) | 0.58 | 1.3 (0.9 to 1.9) | 13 | 1.1 (0.6 to 2.1) |
| Hydrochloric acid | 333 (67) | 12 | 1.8 (0.8 to 3.8) | 14 | 2.6 (1.2 to 5.8) | 0.71 | 1.7 (1.1 to 2.6) | 14 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.2) |
| Ammonia | 319 (66) | 10 | 1.4 (0.6 to 3.2) | 12 | 2.1 (0.9 to 4.7) | 0.60 | 1.6 (1.0 to 2.5) | 14 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.3) |
| Polishes/waxes | 210 (57) | 9 | 1.3 (0.5 to 3.0) | 14 | 2.0 (0.9 to 4.7) | 0.63 | 1.6 (1.0 to 2.6) | 14 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.5) |
| Solvents | 153 (49) | 5 | 0.7 (0.3 to 2.1) | 12 | 1.5 (0.6 to 3.7) | 0.40 | 1.0 (0.6 to 1.7) | 10 | 1.2 (0.5 to 2.9) |
| Carpet cleaners | 132 (45) | 9 | 1.1 (0.4 to 3.0) | 12 | 1.7 (0.7 to 4.5) | 0.54 | 1.2 (0.7 to 2.2) | 15 | 2.2 (1.0 to 5.1) |
| Number of different products | |||||||||
| 1–6 Different products | 354 (43) | 10 | 1.5 (0.7 to 3.3) | 10 | 1.7 (0.8 to 3.8) | 0.58 | 1.5 (0.9 to 2.3) | 12 | 1.3 (0.7 to 2.6) |
| 7–12 Different products | 316 (38) | 12 | 1.8 (0.8 to 3.8) | 13 | 2.3 (1.0 to 5.0) | 0.63 | 1.6 (1.0 to 2.5) | 13 | 1.5 (0.7 to 2.9) |
| p Value for linear trend | 0.13 | 0.03 | 0.09 | 0.30 | |||||
OR and 95% CI from logistic regression models for each cleaning product adjusted for age, nationality, sex and smoking status. Each individual may be represented in more than one category. Group C was used as the reference category for all comparisons.
↵* Mean ratio (MR) and 95% CI from negative binomial regression models for each cleaning product adjusted for age, nationality, sex and smoking status.
↵† Group A: never cleaners.
↵‡ Group B: current cleaners who had not used any of the listed cleaning products at work during the last year.
↵§ Group C: never cleaners AND current cleaners who had not used any of the listed cleaning products at work during the last year (group A+group B).
Pr (%), prevalence.