Occupational Exposure to Disinfectants and COPD Incidence in US Nurses: A Prospective Cohort Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Boggs KM ; Camargo CA ; Dumas O ; Henneberger, Paul K. ; Le Moual N ; Quinot C ; Speizer FE ; Varraso R ; Zock J-P
• Description:
  Background: Exposure to disinfectants in healthcare workers has been associated with respiratory health effects, including asthma. Despite biological plausibility for an association between disinfectants (irritant chemicals) and COPD, available data are sparse. Aims: To investigate the association between exposure to disinfectants and incident COPD in a large cohort of US female nurses. Methods: The Nurses' Health Study II is a prospective cohort of 116,430 female registered nurses enrolled in 1989. Analyses included 55,185 participants who were still in a nursing job and with no history of COPD in 2009 (baseline; mean age: 54 years). During approximately 8 years of follow-up (until May 2017), 663 nurses reported incident physician-diagnosed COPD. Occupational exposure was evaluated by questionnaire and a Job-Task-Exposure Matrix (JTEM). We examined the association between disinfectant exposure and subsequent COPD development, adjusted for age, smoking (pack-years), body mass index, race and ethnicity. Results: Using disinfectants to clean surfaces on a weekly basis (37% exposed) was associated with incident COPD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 95% CI: 1.22, 1.04-1.43). An association was suggested for weekly use of disinfectants to clean instruments (19% exposed; aOR: 1.18, 0.98-1.43). High level exposure to several specific disinfectants evaluated by the JTEM (glutaraldehyde, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol and quats) were significantly (p<0.05) associated with incident COPD (with ORs ranging from 1.24 to 1.32). Conclusions: Results support a prospective association between exposure to disinfectants and higher COPD incidence in nurses. This novel hypothesis merits further investigation. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma Asthma, Occupational Cohort Studies Disinfectants Health Personnel Lung Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Cleaning Compounds Cohort Studies Health Care Workers JEM Job Exposure Matrix Nurses Occupational Exposure Pulmonary Disorders
• ISSN:
  0903-1936
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  50
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055697
• Citation:
  Eur Respir J 2017 Sep; 50(Suppl 61):OA1774
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• 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
• Supplement:
  Supplement 61
• End Date:
  20170831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9044856e200ef2ff8f080ed1f1b6fe0be42e45178c9380922b7506f511a63bcad9db4c9eaa3c44fc2875b35aad1c2d56be2a202208104b882d473a01f70d6cd6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213485/cdc_213485_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 144.35 KB ]