Hazardous-Cleaning-Materials

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Cleaning fluids 'pose health risk'

March 28, 2009

Hospital cleaning fluids may pose a health risk both to staff and patients, say researchers.

A pilot study in the US showed that common products used at six hospitals contained potentially hazardous chemicals.

They included ammonium chlorides, glycol ethers and ethanolamine, all of which irritate either the skin or lungs.

Several harmful alcohols, including benzyl alcohol, were also found.

Exposure levels were affected by the way the agents were used, said the researchers. The most hazardous situations were said to occur when several cleaning tasks were performed in small and poorly ventilated spaces, such as bathrooms.

Study leader Anila Bello, from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, said: "Because the severity of cleaning exposures is affected by both product formulation and cleaning technique, a combination of product evaluation and workplace exposure data is needed to develop strategies that protect people from cleaning hazards."

The investigation was carried out at three large urban teaching hospitals, one medium-sized urban hospital, and two medium-sized suburban hospitals in eastern Massachusetts.

Exposure to cleaning agents was recently identified as one of the leading causes of occupational asthma among health care workers, said the scientists. Skin effects such as hand dermatitis had also been reported among hospital cleaning staff.

Hospital cleaners were believed to be at particular risk because of the wide range of products they handled and the increased focus on ward cleanliness.

The authors concluded: "Hazardous exposures related to cleaning products are an important public health concern because these exposures may impact not only cleaning workers, but also other occupants in the building."

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