Cleaning products and classes associated with poor respiratory health.

Abstract

Exposure to cleaning products may harm the lungs, mainly through inhalation of irritants and sensitising chemicals, which can induce airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Given increased use of multiple cleaning products at work and home, understanding the impacts of their interplay, rather than individual exposures, is critical but has not been investigated to date. We aim to investigate the cross-sectional association between exposure to cleaning products at home and/or in the workplace and respiratory health. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 318 adults from the Melbourne arm of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) III. Cleaning product exposure was assessed through questionnaires, categorising participant exposure into seven product groups. Latent class analysis was used to identify exposure classes. Adjusted multivariable regression modelled associations between cleaning product classes and respiratory outcomes. We identified four classes of exposure to cleaning products: "minimal users", "light users", "moderate users", "heavy users". The most exposed "heavy user group" characterised people using many different cleaning products on a weekly basis (especially bleach, sprays, polish, solvents, acids). This class was associated with increased risks of current asthma (OR, 3.24; 95% CI 1.19-8.77), and lower post-bronchodilator FEV1 (z-score, -0.47) and FVC (-0.46) compared with "minimal users". This work used a data-driven latent class approach to capture real-world cleaning product use patterns and relate them to respiratory health. We found that frequent use of multiple cleaning products was linked to more asthma and lower lung function, suggesting potential combined effects. These findings highlight the need for cleaning product standards and asthma care guidelines to mitigate risks associated with cleaning products.Copyright © 2026. The Author(s).