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Asthma and Cleaning: What’s New?

  • Occupational Allergy (S Quirce and J Sastre, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Professional and domestic cleanings are associated with work-related asthma (WRA). Increased risk of asthma has been shown in many epidemiological and surveillance studies, and several case reports describe the relationship between exposure to one or more cleaning agents and WRA. Moreover, exposure to cleaning chemicals could be associated with severe uncontrolled asthma. Cleaning sprays, bleach, ammonia, disinfectants, mixing products, and specific job tasks have been identified as specific causes and/or triggers of asthma or airway respiratory diseases. Their measurements at the workplace could be interesting but hardly feasible. It is still under controversy whether cleaning products are airway irritants or sensitizers. The social consequence of unemployment in this population is one of the most important limitations to the management of occupational in cleaning professionals. The prognosis of the disease depends of removal from exposure, with avoidance of high-risk cleaning products, even at home.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pole de pathologie thoracique Hopitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, EA 3072, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

    Carole Ederle MD, Naji Khayath MD & Frederic de Blay MD

  2. Service de pathologie professionnelle, Hopital Cochin, Paris, France

    Carole Donnay MD

  3. Service d’hygiène, Hopitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

    Marie Mielcarek MD

  4. Strasbourg, France

    Frederic de Blay MD

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  1. Carole Ederle MD
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  2. Carole Donnay MD
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  5. Frederic de Blay MD
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Correspondence to Frederic de Blay MD.

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Frederic de Blay reports grants from STALLERGENES-GREER, grants from CHIESI, personal fees from ALK, personal fees from MUNDIPHARMA, personal fees from NOVARTIS, during the conduct of the study; other from STALLERGENES-GREER, other from NOVARTIS, other from ALK, other from MUNDIPHARMA, other from MEDAPHARMA, other from BOEHRINGER, other from ASTRAZENECA, outside the submitted work.

Carole Ederle declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Carole Donnay declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Naji Khayath declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Marie Mielcarek declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Occupational Allergy

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Ederle, C., Donnay, C., Khayath, N. et al. Asthma and Cleaning: What’s New?. Curr Treat Options Allergy 5, 29–40 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40521-018-0153-9

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