Researchers from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research have conducted a study to determine if frequent use of disinfectants was associated with increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
In a cohort study of 73,262 US female nurses participating in the Nurses’ Health Study II who were followed up from 2009 to 2015, occupational exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants was significantly associated with a 25% to 38% increased risk of developing COPD independent of asthma and smoking.
The study investigated several specific disinfectants (i.e. glutaraldehyde, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and quaternary ammonium compounds). The results showed that these were significantly associated with COPD incidence.
This experiment’s findings suggest that regular use of chemical disinfectants may have an adverse association with respiratory health, specifically among nurses for developing COPD disease.
The study is named “Association of Occupational Exposure to Disinfectants With Incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among US Female Nurses,” and has been published in JAMA Network Open.
Reference
Dumas O, Varraso R, Boggs KM, et al. Association of Occupational Exposure to Disinfectants With Incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among US Female Nurses. JAMA Netw Open. 2(10), e1913563 (2019)
