Women who regularly use cleaning sprays or other cleaning products at home or work as cleaners seem to experience a greater decline in lung function over time than women who don't clean, according to new research. In the study, researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway analyzed data from 6,235 participants from the European Community. The participants, whose average age was 34 when they enrolled, were followed for more than 20 years.
The study found that compared to women not cleaning:
* The amount of air a person can exhale in one second fell 3.6 ml/year faster in women who cleaned at home and 3.9 ml/year faster in women who work as cleaners.
* The total amount of air a person can exhale fell 4.3 ml/year faster in women who cleaned at home and 7.1 ml/year more quickly in women who worked as cleaners.
The authors found that accelerated lung function decline in women who work as cleaners is "comparable to smoking just under 20 cigarettes a day." In men, cleaning had no effect on reduced lung function.
