CE: Environments & Health: Chemicals in the Home That Can Exacerbate Asthma.
Barbara J Polivka, Luz Huntington-Moskos, Rodney Folz and 1 others
PMID 35394947WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with very poorly controlled asthma scrubbed showers more often and had higher cleaning product concern and frequency scores.
Nurses can help patients inventory home cleaners and check Environmental Working Group asthma concern ratings.
Key findings
01Participants with very poorly controlled asthma scrubbed their shower or tub a mean of 4.8 days, compared with 2.1 days for those with not well controlled asthma and 2.7 days for those with well controlled asthma (P = 0.026).
02Exposure scores ranged from 0 to 42 and were significantly higher for participants with very poorly controlled asthma (mean 12.5; median 6) than for those with not well controlled (mean 5.1; median 4) or well controlled asthma (mean 6.5; median 3) (P = 0.012).
03Most cleaning and disinfectant products used (60%) were categorized by the Environmental Working Group as having moderate asthma and respiratory health concerns.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This study did not test a cleaning product intervention, so it cannot show that changing products improves asthma control. Only 148 of the 185 participants were included in the cleaning product analysis because their specific products could be visually confirmed. The sample was primarily female, White, college-educated, and retired or unemployed, so it may not represent other older adults with asthma. Exposure was estimated from Environmental Working Group product ratings and shower or bathtub cleaning frequency, not from measured chemical levels in the home. The exposure score focused on shower or bathtub cleaning frequency, so it may not capture all cleaning product use in the home.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that switching to lower-concern cleaning products will improve asthma control. The study compared cleaning product exposure scores and shower cleaning frequency across asthma control groups; it did not test a cleaning product intervention.