Health

Women Who Clean A Lot Could Face Decreased Lung Function

Regular use of chemicals seems to decrease lung functionality in women, but not in men.

Women Who Clean A Lot Could Face Decreased Lung Function
Elaine Smith
SMS

A new study suggests household cleaning products might do as much damage to women's lungs as smoking cigarettes.

Researchers followed more than 6,000 participants over 20 years and found that women who used cleaning products at home or at work saw dramatic decreases in lung functionality over the years.

In fact, continued exposure is about as bad as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 10-20 years.

Oddly, the study suggested there's no difference in lung function between men who routinely used cleaning products and those who didn't. But the researchers suggest that might be because there are fewer men who work as cleaners.