Occupational Exposure to Disinfectants and Asthma Control in US Nurses

Details

• Personal Author:
  Camargo CA Jr. ; Dumas O ; Henneberger, Paul K. ; Le Moual N ; Quinot C ; Speizer FE ; Varraso R ; Wiley AS ; Zock J-P
• Description:
  Disinfectant use has been associated with adverse respiratory effects among healthcare workers. However, the specific harmful agents have not been elucidated. We examined the association between occupational exposure to disinfectants and asthma control in the Nurses' Health Study II, a large cohort of female nurses. Nurses with asthma were invited in 2014 to complete two questionnaires on their current occupation and asthma (response rate 80%). Asthma control was defined by the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Exposure to major disinfectants was evaluated by a job.task.exposure matrix (JTEM). Analyses included 4102 nurses with asthma (mean age 58 years). Asthma control was poor (ACT score 16.19) in 12% of nurses and very poor (ACT score .15) in 6% of nurses. Use of disinfectants to clean medical instruments (19% exposed) was associated with poorly (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.05.1.79) and very poorly (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.38.2.56) controlled asthma (ptrend=0.004, after adjustment for potential confounders). Using JTEM estimates, exposure to formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, hypochlorite bleach, hydrogen peroxide and enzymatic cleaners was associated with poor asthma control (all ptrend<0.05); exposure to quaternary ammonium compounds and alcohol was not. Use of several disinfectants was associated with poor asthma control. Our findings suggest targets for future efforts to prevent worsening of asthma control in healthcare workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Asthma Disinfectants Environmental Exposure Enzymes Formaldehyde Health Personnel Lung Lung Diseases Men Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Women

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• Keywords:
  Age Groups Alcohols Ammonium Compounds Bronchial Asthma Cleaning Compounds Exposure Levels Glutaraldehyde Health Care Personnel Health Care Workers Humans Hydrogen Peroxide Nurses Pulmonary System Pulmonary System Disorders Questionnaires Respiratory System Disorders Risk Factors Task Performance

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• ISSN:
  0903-1936
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  50
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050501
• Citation:
  Eur Respir J 2017 Oct; 50(4):1700237
• Contact Point Address:
  Orianne Dumas, INSERM U1168, VIMA: Aging and Chronic Diseases, Epidemiological and Public Health Approaches, 16 avenue Paul Vaillant Couturier, 94807 Villejuif, France
• Email:
  orianne.dumas@inserm.fr
• CAS Registry Number:
  Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Glutaraldehyde (CAS RN 111-30-8) ; Hydrogen peroxide (CAS RN 7722-84-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20130901
• Source Full Name:
  European Respiratory Journal
• End Date:
  20170831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e5327fb9670439d731b6a9aa87033f21b845537c12649e19f37de29a0af17b6792144a63130cbafcaa58d0fcc1da8407745fc809b9b659fb6cf3bbbd75cb36a4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210820/cdc_210820_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 454.48 KB ]