Occupational exposure to disinfectants and cleaning products, lung function and COPD

Occupational exposure to Disinfectants and Cleaning Products (DCPs) is a known risk factor for asthma, but only a few studies investigated their impact on lung function and COPD. We studied associations between lifetime occupational exposure to DCPs, lung function, and COPD based on cross-sectional data from the French population-based CONSTANCES cohort. Analyses were carried on 123,535 participants (mean age: 47 years, 55% women) with data on lung function (z-score of FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC) and job histories at inclusion. COPD was defined by airway obstruction (FEV1/FVC<Lower Limit of Normal) with symptoms (chronic bronchitis, mMRC dyspnea grade 1) or doctor-diagnosed chronic bronchitis/emphysema. Lifetime occupational exposure to DCPs was assessed by the Occupational Asthma-specific Job-Exposure Matrix. We assessed associations with lung function and COPD separately in men and women using linear and logistic regressions, adjusted for age, smoking status, pack-years, and the French deprivation index. In both men and women, lifetime occupational exposure to DCPs (men: 13%; women: 28%) was significantly associated with a lower z-score FEV1 (men: β=-0.06[-0.08;-0.03]; women: -0.04[-0.06;-0.02]) and z-score FVC (men: β=-0.05[-0.07;-0.02]; women: -0.03[-0.05;-0.01]), but not with z-score FEV1/FVC. Occupational exposure to DCPs was significantly associated with COPD in both men (OR=1.48[1.16-1.87]) and women (OR=1.24[1.06-1.45]). Our results show in a large population-based study that occupational exposure to DCPs is associated with both poor lung function and COPD. They support the need for further efforts to prevent and monitor progress of respiratory diseases in workers exposed to DCPs.