New Zealand has high asthma rates, with one in six adults and one in four children affected.

There is mounting evidence to suggest that the cleaning chemicals we use daily are impacting on indoor air quality and potentially triggering asthma and allergy symptoms.

It’s estimated that we Kiwis spend up to 90 percent of our time indoors. And a lot of us spend eight to nine hours a day in our workplace. When we’re spending so much time inside, have you ever considered that your workplace and the chemicals used to clean it could actually be affecting your health?

According to the US  Responsible Purchasing Network’s cleaning guide, the ingredients in one-third of commercial cleaners are potentially harmful to people and the environment. It identifies people who spend time indoors, such as office workers, health employees and students and teachers, as particularly susceptible to the health risks.

Spanish researchers have also found a link between everyday cleaning products and asthma. Researchers at the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona found that cleaning sprays could be contributing to a rise in workplace asthma.

“Inhaling chemicals found in many cleaners, including bleach, ammonia, solvents and stain removers more than once a week was linked to 20 per cent rise in cases of asthma or wheezing,” the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Find out more:

Jobs identified that are linked to greater risk of asthma in adults - Daily Telegraph, Jan 2013

 

 

---