Women who regularly use cleaning sprays or products at home, or work as professional cleaners, experience a steeper decline in lung function over time than those who don't clean, according to research from the University of Bergen in Norway. The study examined data from 6,235 participants in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, who enrolled at an average age of 34 and were tracked for over 20 years.
Compared to women who don't clean:
* Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) declined 3.6 ml/year faster among home cleaners and 3.9 ml/year faster among professional cleaners.
* Forced vital capacity (FVC) declined 4.3 ml/year faster for home cleaners and 7.1 ml/year faster for professional cleaners.
The authors equated the accelerated decline in professional cleaners to smoking just under 20 cigarettes a day. No similar effect was seen in men.
