The authors presented the results of a study that linked household sprays and new onset asthma. 4,200 subjects who cleaned their own homes took part in the study, with 3,500 participants initially being asthma free. After nine years, the data showed that the incidence of asthma was greater in participants who used sprays more frequently. “Between 11 percent and 18 percent of new asthma cases can be attributed to frequent use of household aerosols.” The most hazardous of the sprays used were room, furniture, and window sprays. Using ammonia, bleach, or dye solvents was also found to put people at risk for developing asthma.
Jaakkola and Maritta, “Asthma and Housework: A Few Home Truths,” 15th Annual Congress of the
European Respiratory Society, Copenhagen, Sweden, 2005.