Table 2.
Symptoms and self-reported diagnoses of the survey participants, by disinfectant product use at a hospital, August 2015
| Health effect | All participants (N = 163) | Work-related symptoms* | Disinfectant product use (n = 78) | No disinfectant product use (n = 85) | P value† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptom | |||||
| Nasal problems‡ | 68 (42) | 29 (18) | 31 (40) | 37 (44) | .64 |
| Watery eyes‡ | 65 (40) | 31 (18) | 35 (45) | 30 (35) | .26 |
| Asthma-like symptoms§ | 46 (28) | 16 (10) | 24 (31) | 22 (26) | .60 |
| Skin problems‡ | 31 (19) | 19 (11) | 12 (15) | 19 (22) | .32 |
| Wheeze‡ | 26 (16) | 6 (4) | 12 (15) | 14 (16) | >.99 |
| Shortness of breath | 21 (13) | 7 (4) | 11 (14) | 10 (12) | .82 |
| Chest tightness‡ | 18 (11) | 4 (2) | 10 (13) | 8 (9) | .62 |
| Cough | 9 (6) | 4 (2) | 5 (6) | 4 (5) | .74 |
| Asthma attack‡ | 8 (5) | 4 (2) | 3 (4) | 5 (6) | .72 |
| Medication use | |||||
| Allergy medicine | 48 (29) | 9 (6) | 16 (21) | 32 (38) | <.05 |
| Asthma medicine | 18 (11) | 6 (4) | 10 (13) | 8 (9) | .62 |
| Diagnosis | |||||
| Asthma | |||||
| Ever | 32 (20) | 14 (18) | 18 (21) | .69 | |
| Current | 23 (14) | 12 (15) | 11 (13) | .66 | |
| Nasal allergies | 37 (23) | 11 (14) | 26 (31) | <.05 | |
NOTE. Values are n (%) or as otherwise indicated.
*
Work-related symptoms were defined as symptoms that improved away from the facility, either on days off or on vacation.
†
P values calculated usingχ 2 or Fisher exact test.
‡
In the last 12 months.
§
Asthma-like symptoms were defined as current use of asthma medicine or ≥ 1 of the following symptoms in the last 12 months: wheezing or whistling in the chest, awakening with a feeling of chest tightness, or attack of asthma.