People who clean buildings face exposure to unhealthy elements such as inhalable dust and chemicals, skin exposure to cleaning solutions and disinfectants, noise from equipment, contact or inhalation of chemical residues and mixtures of these residues.

Reducing these exposures will reduce harmful health impacts both to cleaning professionals and those using the facilities they maintain.

Since indoor air is a primary path of exposure, reducing the unnecessary use of chemicals and lowering airborne dust through source control or capture are key interventions, as are ventilation and local air purification.

Indoor Health Council’s Evidence-based Cleaning for Health program strives first to improve the health of the worker. More soon…