title: Hazardous substances in frequently used professional cleaning products.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A growing number of studies have identified cleaners as a group at risk for adverse health effects of the skin and the respiratory tract. Chemical substances present in cleaning products could be responsible for these effects. Currently, only limited information is available about irritant and health hazardous chemical substances found in cleaning products. We hypothesized that chemical substances present in cleaning products are known health hazardous substances that might be involved in adverse health effects of the skin and the respiratory tract.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a systematic review of cleaning products used in the Swiss cleaning sector. We surveyed Swiss professional cleaning companies (n = 1476) to identify the most used products (n = 105) for inclusion. Safety data sheets (SDSs) were reviewed and hazardous substances present in cleaning products were tabulated with current European and global harmonized system hazard labels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Professional cleaning products are mixtures of substances (arithmetic mean 3.5 +/- 2.8), and more than 132 different chemical substances were identified in 105 products. The main groups of chemicals were fragrances, glycol ethers, surfactants, solvents; and to a lesser extent, phosphates, salts, detergents, pH-stabilizers, acids, and bases. Up to 75% of products contained irritant (Xi), 64% harmful (Xn) and 28% corrosive (C) labeled substances. Hazards for eyes (59%) and skin (50%), and hazards by ingestion (60%) were the most reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cleaning products potentially give rise to simultaneous exposures to different chemical substances. As professional cleaners represent a large workforce, and cleaning products are widely used, it is a major public health issue to better understand these exposures. The list of substances provided in this study contains important information for future occupational exposure assessment studies.
authors.forename: Fabian Melchior
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Gerster
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vernez
authors.forename: Pascal Pierre
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.forename: Nancy Brenna
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Hopf
mesh_terms: D002424:Caustics / Q000032:analysis; D003902:Detergents / Q000032:analysis; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D006795:Household Products / Q000032:analysis*; D006796:Household Work; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013557:Switzerland
chemical_list: D002424:Caustics; D003902:Detergents; D015386:Hazardous Substances