Cleaning tasks and products and asthma among health care professionals

Patel, Jenil; Gimeno Ruiz de Porras, David; Mitchell, Laura E.; Carson, Arch; Whitehead, Lawrence W.; Han, Inkyu; Pompeii, Lisa; Conway, Sadie; Zock, Jan-Paul; Henneberger, Paul K.; Patel, Riddhi; Reyes, Joy de los; Delclòs i Clanchet, Jordi, 1956-

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002990

Cleaning tasks and products and asthma among health care professionals

Citation

Patel J, Gimeno Ruiz de Porras D, Mitchell LE, Carson A, Whitehead LW, Han I, et al. Cleaning tasks and products and asthma among health care professionals. J Occup Environ Med. 2024 Jan 1;66(1):28-34. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002990

Abstract

Objective: Health care workers are at risk for work-related asthma, which may be affected by changes in cleaning practices. We examined associations of cleaning tasks and products with work-related asthma in health care workers in 2016, comparing them with prior results from 2003. Methods: We estimated asthma prevalence by professional group and explored associations of self-reported asthma with job-exposure matrix-based cleaning tasks/products in a representative Texas sample of 9914 physicians, nurses, respiratory/occupational therapists, and nurse aides. Results: Response rate was 34.8% (n = 2421). The weighted prevalence rates of physician-diagnosed (15.3%), work-exacerbated (4.1%), and new-onset asthma (6.7%) and bronchial hyperresponsiveness symptoms (31.1%) were similar to 2003. New-onset asthma was associated with building surface cleaning (odds ratio [OR], 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-3.33), use of ortho-phthalaldehyde (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.15-2.72), bleach/quaternary compounds (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.10-3.33), and sprays (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.12-3.47). Conclusion: Prevalence of asthma/bronchial hyperresponsiveness seems unchanged, whereas associations of new-onset asthma with exposures to surface cleaning remained, and decreased for instrument cleaning.