Cleaning assistants have a 2-3 times higher risk of getting asthma than the rest of the population. Spray is one of the reasons: the droplets float in the air, and you breathe them in. Here are NFA's five tips, what NIR Rengøring says, and how to read the label.
Introduction
The National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA) writes that cleaning assistants have a 2-3 times higher risk of developing asthma and asthma-like symptoms than the general population. Cleaning agents sprayed into the air are one of the causes.
Why spray is a problem
When you spray, the product becomes a cloud of tiny droplets — an aerosol. Some lands on the surface, but some stays in the air, and you breathe it in. NIR Rengøring therefore writes: «Spraying various liquids is not recommended because of the formation of aerosols, which are inhaled, with possible allergy and chemical irritation as a result.»
Five tips from NFA
- 01Avoid using spray products as far as possible. Aerosol cans in particular are a problem.
- 02Consider whether the product can be applied in a different way.
- 03If you must spray, spray close into a cloth — at most 1 cm away.
- 04Avoid spray products with strong acids and bases and — to be on the safe side — products with quaternary ammonium compounds.
- 05Replace products with unwanted substances with products with well-known, tested substances.
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