Cleaning fluids used in hospitals may pose a health risk to both staff and patients.
A pilot study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health has found that potentially hazardous chemicals are contained in a selection of agents used in several different hospitals.
The study was conducted at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Sustainable Hospitals Program (www.sustainableproduction.org) and led by Anila Bello. Other team members were Margaret Quinn and Don Milton, also from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Melissa Perry, from the Harvard School of Public Health. They investigated the cleaning materials and techniques used in six Massachusetts hospitals. Bello said, "Cleaning products may impact worker, and possibly patient, health through air and skin exposures. Because the severity of cleaning exposures is affected by both product formulation and cleaning technique, a combination of product evaluation and workplace exposure data is needed to develop strategies that protect people from cleaning hazards."