According to the latest research out of Indiana University, you probably should steer clear of scented cleaning products.
Thanks to the monoterpenes found in some surface cleaning products, specifically those with pine or citrus scents, these products might actually expose you to the same kind of pollutants found on heavily trafficked city streets.
When a monoterpene evaporates into the air, it reacts with ozone molecules and produces a type of pollutant that falls under the category of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), commonly created by automobile exhaust fumes.
The problem with SOAs is how easily they can aggravate your airways.
Indiana University’s Colleen Rosales, Ph.D, explains, “The smaller the particles are, the deeper they go into the lung. Smaller particles cause serious respiratory problems, such as inflammation. They can also introduce chemicals into the bloodstream.”
Rosales and her team ran an experiment by cleaning an office with a scented commercial cleaning solution, and then tracked the resulting particles.
Their findings were surprising and concluded that spending time in a room one and a half hours following mopping can expose you to particles equivalent to being by a busy road for one and a half to six hours.
Additional research is still required to determine which of these two pollutants is potentially more harmful to human health.
In the meantime, while fans with filters can help minimize SOAs, avoiding products with monoterpenes is probably a good idea, especially for professional cleaners.
If you’re worried about the health of your office space, contact our team for a proposal. We are committed to creating healthier work spaces and look forward to working with you!
