---
title: It’s getting harder and harder to breathe!
description: It’s getting harder and harder to breathe!
---

<https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources>

# [It’s getting harder and harder to breathe!](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2013/09/its-getting-harder-and-harder-to-breathe.html)

 Written by [Nicole Kenny](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/author/nicole-kenny) | Sep 5, 2013 7:43:00 PM

<http://static1.squarespace.com/static/595689fc9de4bbc892200518/t/59568acc5fd63b5f292878e3/1498845313405//img.jpg.com/static/595689fc9de4bbc892200518/t/59568acc5fd63b5f292878e4/1498843852935/1000w/>

When I first started collecting my thoughts for this  
 week’s blog post on Occupational Asthma and the potential contributing role  
 played by cleaning and disinfectant products, the final lyrics from the chorus  
 of Maroon 5’s 2002 hit “[Harder to Breathe](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV8NHsmVMPE)” rang clearly in my head, “it’s  
 getting harder and harder to breathe!”.   
 For many professionals in the cleaning industry, this statement has the  
 potential to ring true over the span of their careers. 

In the USA, several states conduct work related asthma  
 surveillance as part of the [Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/pesticides/overview.html) (SENSOR).  The surveillance system  
 in California showed that custodians and cleaners had the highest incidence of  
 work related asthma.  Furthermore,  
[Rosenman et al](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1763647/) reported that a cleaning product was 1 or more of the 3  
 suspected agents identified in 12% of the confirmed cases that they  
 reviewed.  The fact that bleach was the  
 most frequently identified product should not be all that surprising considering  
 that bleach was recently designated an asthma-causing agent by the Association  
 of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (Sastre 2011). 

Quaternary ammonium compounds (Quats or QACs) also tend  
 to be frequently identified as potential asthma causing agents due to their  
 prevalence in numerous cleaning and disinfectant products.  Michigan’s SENSOR program published a  
 detailed report on the link between asthma and quats in their 2008-2009  
 newsletter ([http://www.oem.msu.edu/userfiles/file/News/v20n1.pdf](http://www.oem.msu.edu/userfiles/file/News/v20n1.pdf)).  The newsletter includes several case reports  
 and a review of several peer reviewed studies completed on the subject. 

This past summer, Massachusetts’ Dept. of Health issued  
 an Occupational Lung Disease Bulletin as part of their SENSOR program  
 ([http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/occupational-health/sensor-lung-disease-bulletins/summer2013.pdf](http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/occupational-health/sensor-lung-disease-bulletins/summer2013.pdf)).  This bulletin further detailed the potential  
 link between the use of certain cleaning and disinfectant products and  
 work-related asthma but also included valuable recommendations related to the  
 correct use of cleaning products and the consideration of safer disinfectant  
 chemistries.  The bulletin states that  
 “The prevention goal is to balance the two needs—to reduce infectious disease  
 transmission without causing chemical related disease”.  Ensuring that disinfectants are not overused,  
 unnecessarily aerosolized or misted into the air, and employed at the correct  
 concentration are important points to consider.   
 The bulletin also includes reference to the consideration of safer  
 disinfectants: “EPA’s Design for the Environment ([http://www.epa.gov/dfe/](http://www.epa.gov/dfe/)) has  
 begun promoting use of safer disinfectants that pose lower risks of adverse  
 human effects and environmental degradation. To date, the active ingredients  
 approved as safer include citric acid, lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide”.

In summary, where the use of disinfectants are necessary,  
 steps should be taken to reduce the potential exposure to harmful and  
 potentially asthma causing chemicals by considering safer cleaning and  
 disinfectant options or by employing practices and protocols that will reduce a  
 user’s direct contact and risk.

*Hasta la vista!*

*  
*

*  
*

*The Germinator* - Lee

[View full post](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2013/09/its-getting-harder-and-harder-to-breathe.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Nicole Kenny"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2019-03-04T15:23:04.261Z",
  "datePublished" : "2013-09-05T19:43:00Z",
  "headline" : "It’s getting harder and harder to breathe!",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 60,
    "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
    "width" : 60
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2013/09/its-getting-harder-and-harder-to-breathe.html",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "Virox-Animal-Health-Resources"
  }
}
```