Asthma-Safer Cleaning and Disinfecting

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  California. Department of Public Health
• Description:
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidance to clean and disinfect more frequently at home and at work. People may not realize that products such as disposable disinfectant wipes and common cleaners often contain hazardous chemicals. This may help explain the 20% increase in calls to U.S. poison centers about cleaning and disinfecting products over the last few months. During May's Asthma Awareness Month, we're highlighting the importance of cleaning and disinfecting safely, since some products contain chemicals that can cause or worsen asthma. They can also cause health effects such as eye damage, skin burns, and rash. Here are some tips: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created a list of disinfectants that work to kill coronavirus. Choose hydrogen peroxide (without peracetic acid), lactic acid, citric acid, silver, or alcohol-based products whenever possible. These are not known to cause asthma. Use as much ventilation as possible. Open windows if needed. Dilute products properly. Do not make them more concentrated than the labels say. Follow recommendations on the label or the safety data sheet. This may include wearing gloves or goggles. Choose fragrance-free cleaning products. Also, disinfection is not always necessary. For example, you can clean up a drink spill, a dusty bookshelf, or a muddy floor using water and a microfiber cloth. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma Asthma, Occupational Communicable Diseases Disinfectants Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Chemical Hazards Chemicals Cleaning Compounds Infectious Diseases
• Publisher:
  California Department of Public Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059570
• Citation:
  Occupational Health Watch: May 2020. Richmond, CA: California Department of Public Health, 2020 May; :1-2
• Email:
  OHW@cdph.ca.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  Public Health Institute
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational Health Watch
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6a6b6ddfe132bb302bdef0675feb8c802f6c6589d361bd59c14c6892206e4a9daaf3416fa4c51da35c8811e4c58565362cfadada610caf48285f9cc3ea3ef00b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223743/cdc_223743_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 148.99 KB ]