Working as a cleaner pre-conception may increase the risk of asthma in their progeny

This is an interesting study which finds that maternal jobs with exposure to indoor cleaning agents including cleaning products/detergents and disinfectants starting before conception was associated with an increased risk of asthma in their offspring. They suggest that this is more likely to be an epigenetic effect of exposure rather than an in-utero effect, although both were possible. Maternal exposures were estimated from a JEM, we are given no clues as to which jobs were included, but jobs with passive biocide exposures (such as those working in cleaned environments where occupational asthma to cleaning agents have been documented) are likely to have been excluded, as were any domestic exposures (in cases or controls). Many cleaning agents are lipophilic and may accumulate in the future mother’s fat tissue leading to continued effects after direct exposure ceases. Any effect may also be related to altering the maternal microbiome.

References

	Tjalvin G, Svanes Ø, Igland J, Bertelsen RJ, Benediktsdóttir B, Dharmage S, Forsberg B, Holm M, Janson C, Jõgi NO, Johannessen A, Malinovschi A, Pape K, Real FG, Sigsgaard T, Torén K, Vindenes HK, Zock JP, Schlünssen V, Svanes C, Maternal preconception occupational exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants and offspring asthma., J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2022;149:422-431,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2021.08.025

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