The harm is certainly not limited to the lungs. Many common cleaning products contain substances that can interfere with the body’s hormone system, which helps regulate reproduction, metabolism, growth, sleep, stress, and long term health. For housekeepers, this is not occasional household use. It is repeated workplace exposure through breathing, skin contact, chemical mixing, and hours spent cleaning in enclosed spaces. Employers and hiring parties should not treat that risk as vague or unknowable. The health concerns that come from choosing not to use safe products are already documented and known to the research community. The exposure is foreseeable, and safer alternatives are abundant and easily accessible. When a worker is repeatedly exposed to products known to carry these risks, the question is no longer whether anyone could have known.

The question is why safer practices were not required in the first place.

Many of the products commonly used in residential and hospitality cleaning are not the most effective option for the job. In many cases, simpler methods and less toxic alternatives can achieve equal or better results without the same health risks. The widespread reliance on harsh chemicals is often driven by habit, marketing, or client expectation rather than evidence based practice. As a result, housekeepers are being exposed to harmful substances day after day for no meaningful gain in cleanliness or sanitation. They are, quite literally, being made sick for no reason.

Research from major public health institutions has consistently shown that cleaning work carries measurable, long term health risks. A large longitudinal study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, using data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, followed more than 6,000 individuals over 20 years and found that women working as cleaners experienced significantly accelerated lung function decline.

The damage was so severe that researchers concluded it was comparable to smoking up to a pack of cigarettes a day over time. 

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has similarly reported that frequent exposure to cleaning chemicals is linked to increased risk of asthma, respiratory disease, and chronic irritation, even in otherwise healthy individuals. These findings make clear that the risks are not theoretical or rare. They are measurable, cumulative, and built into the daily work. Government and occupational health research reinforces this pattern. Studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have identified cleaning workers as a high risk group for work related asthma, with exposure to disinfectants, sprays, and chemical mixtures directly associated with new onset asthma and chronic respiratory symptoms. Earlier epidemiological research has estimated that cleaners face roughly one and a half to two times the risk of developing respiratory conditions compared to the general population. Taken together, the evidence is consistent across institutions and decades of study. Repeated exposure to cleaning chemicals is not just irritating, it is actively damaging to the lungs and overall health of the people doing the work.

Compounding the issue is the lack of basic safety protections. Protective equipment such as gloves, masks, and proper ventilation is not a luxury or a workplace “perk.” It is a fundamental safety requirement. Yet many housekeepers are expected to perform their duties without consistent access to these protections or without guidance on how to use them effectively. In any other industry involving chemical handling, this would be considered unacceptable. In domestic work, it is often treated as standard.