TABLE 5.
Work-Related Asthma Cases Associated with Cleaning Products by Case Classification Category: A Comparison between Cleaning Occupations and All Other Occupations, 1993–1997 and 1998–2012*
| Classification | 1993–1997 | 1998–2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Occupations a | All Other Occupations | RR (95% CI) | Cleaning Occupations | All Other Occupations | RR (95% CI) | |
| Number (%) | Number (%) | Number (%) | Number (%) | |||
| Total b | 53 | 172 | 184 | 636 | ||
| Work aggravated | 7 (13.2) | 38 (22.1) | 0.6 (0.3–1.3) | 61 (33.2) | 315 (49.5) | 0.7 (0.5–0.8) |
| New onset | 46 (86.8) | 134 (77.9) | 1.1 (1.0–1.3) | 123 (66.8) | 321 (50.5) | 1.3 (1.2–1.5) |
| Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome | 11 (20.8) | 28 (16.3) | 1.3 (0.7–2.4) | 38 (20.7) | 97 (15.3) | 1.4 (1.0–1.9) |
| Occupational asthma | 35 (66.0) | 106 (61.6) | 1.1 (0.9–1.3) | 85 (46.2) | 224 (35.2) | 1.3 (1.1–1.6) |
| Known Inducer | 4 (7.5) | 25 (14.5) | 0.5 (0.2–1.4) | 34 (18.5) | 59 (9.3) | 2.0 (1.4–2.9) |
| Unknown Inducer | 31 (58.5) | 81 (47.1) | 1.2 (0.9–1.6) | 51 (27.7) | 165 (25.9) | 1.1 (0.8–1.4) |
% = Percent; RR = Relative risk; CI = Confidence interval
Data are available for California (CA), Massachusetts (MA), and Michigan (MI) for the period between1993 and 2012, New Jersey (NJ) between 1993 and 2011, and New York (NY) between 2009 and 2012.
Cleaning occupations are those with the following 2000 Standard Occupational Classification codes: 37–1010 (First-Line Supervisors/Managers, Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Workers), 37–1011 (First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers), 37–2010 (Building Cleaning Workers), 37–2011 (Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners), 37–2012 (Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners), and 37–2019 (Building Cleaning Workers, All Other).
Cases with missing classification for asthma type or occupation are not included. For 1993–1997, all cases were classified by asthma type and 11 cases had missing occupation information (California-9 and New Jersey-2). For 1998–2012, 347 cases were not classified by asthma type (California-281, Massachusetts-15, Michigan-2, New Jersey-17, and New York-32) and 79 cases had missing occupation information (California-42, Massachusetts-5, Michigan-13, New Jersey-6, and New York-13).