TABLE 6.
Reported Exposures among Work-Related Asthma Cases by Cleaning Product and Case Classification Category: A Comparison between Cleaning Occupations* and All Other Occupations, 1998–2012**
| Cleaning Product Category a | Work-Aggravated Asthma | New-Onset Asthma | All Confirmed Cases | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Occupations | All Other Occupations | Cleaning Occupations | All Other Occupations | Cleaning Occupations | All Other Occupations | |||||||
| n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | |
| Cleaning materials (not specified cleaning materials and household, general purpose cleaners) | 32 | 36.8 | 121 | 28.4 | 55 | 27.2 | 150 | 32.6 | 126 | 32.9 | 356 | 30.8 |
| Floor strippers/Floor waxes | 6 | 6.9 | 99 | 23.2 | 18 | 8.9 | 70 | 15.2 | 29 | 7.6 | 215 | 18.6 |
| Bleach | 17 | 19.5 | 48 | 11.3 | 33 | 16.3 | 46 | 10.0 | 60 | 15.7 | 128 | 11.1 |
| Disinfectant (not specified disinfectants, not specified disinfectant cleaners, and pine oil cleaner) | 12 | 13.8 | 29 | 6.8 | 13 | 6.4 | 34 | 7.4 | 29 | 7.6 | 83 | 7.2 |
| Carpet cleaner | 0 | - | 25 | 5.9 | 3 | 1.5 | 21 | 4.6 | 4 | 1.0 | 66 | 5.7 |
| Improper cleaning product mixtures | 7 | 8.0 | 10 | 2.3 | 16 | 7.9 | 21 | 4.6 | 29 | 7.6 | 37 | 3.2 |
| Quaternary ammonia compounds | 1 | 1.1 | 15 | 3.5 | 14 | 6.9 | 24 | 5.2 | 18 | 4.7 | 45 | 3.9 |
| Ammonia | 5 | 5.7 | 9 | 2.1 | 6 | 3.0 | 12 | 2.6 | 12 | 3.1 | 35 | 3.0 |
| Acids, bases, or oxidizers | 2 | 2.3 | 11 | 2.6 | 13 | 6.4 | 8 | 1.7 | 19 | 5.0 | 22 | 1.9 |
| Chemicals, not specified | 1 | 1.1 | 7 | 1.6 | 3 | 1.5 | 7 | 1.5 | 8 | 2.1 | 17 | 1.5 |
| Alcohols (not specified alcohols, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol) | 0 | - | 7 | 1.6 | 2 | 1.0 | 5 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.8 | 16 | 1.4 |
| Glycol ethers (not specified ethylene glycol ethers, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and 2-butoxyethanol) | 0 | - | 4 | 0.9 | 3 | 1.5 | 5 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.8 | 14 | 1.2 |
| Soaps, detergents, and laundry soaps | 0 | - | 6 | 1.4 | 0 | - | 3 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.5 | 14 | 1.2 |
| Hydrocarbons (not specified aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, and xylene) and solvents, not specified | 1 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.7 | 2 | 1.0 | 8 | 1.7 | 4 | 1.0 | 12 | 1.0 |
| Cleaners (abrasive, acid, caustic, and citric) | 0 | - | 6 | 1.4 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.4 | 4 | 1.0 | 10 | 0.9 |
| Oven cleaner | 0 | - | 3 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 | 0.9 | 1 | 0.3 | 11 | 1.0 |
| Inorganic halogens (chlorine, chlorine dioxide, chlorous acid, and sodium chlorite) | 1 | 1.1 | 4 | 0.9 | 2 | 1.0 | 4 | 0.9 | 4 | 1.0 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Graffiti remover | 0 | - | 1 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 | 0.9 | 4 | 1.0 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Ethanolamines | 1 | 1.1 | 1 | 0.2 | 0 | - | 7 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.3 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Toilet bowl cleaner | 0 | - | 0 | - | 3 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.2 | 7 | 1.8 | 4 | 0.3 |
| All other cleaning products b | 1 | 1.1 | 17 | 4.0 | 11 | 5.4 | 24 | 5.2 | 16 | 4.2 | 44 | 3.8 |
| Total c | 87 | 426 | 202 | 460 | 383 | 1154 | ||||||
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).
Data are available for California, Massachusetts, and Michigan for the period between 1998 and 2012, New Jersey between 1998 and 2011, and New York between 2009 and 2012.
See Appendix for the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC) Exposure Codes associated with each cleaning product category.
‘All other cleaning products’ represents cleaning products (see Appendix) with counts less than 10.
Totals represent number of exposures for cases in cleaning and non-cleaning occupations by case classification category. Percentages are based on all exposures within each case classification category and occupation category.