Women's strategies for handling household detergents

Abstract

Performing household-cleaning chores involves the use of chemical detergents; these are commonly believed to provide cleaner and safer households. Occupational health studies have associated health risks with detergents, including respiratory and skin problems. Women are the major users of household detergents, as they are in general the primary homemakers. Detergent-handling strategies including storage, use, and precautionary measures affect women's exposure to chemical detergents and thus affect their health. Studies investigating the behavioral component of chemical exposure to detergents at the domestic level are scarce. In this study of detergent-handling strategies, women's potential exposure was investigated by an ergonomics methodology combining in-depth interviews and observations. The participants were 28 women who were responsible for cleaning chores in their households. The women lived in Nabaa, a low socioeconomic, religiously and ethnically diverse neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon. Information on how women in Nabaa used and perceived household detergent, added to the understanding of their potential chemical exposure. All the study subjects washed dishes, cleaned bathrooms, and swept floors on at least a daily basis. We found that more than half of the participants stored different incompatible detergents in close proximity to each other. Many of the women stated that they over-consumed detergents. A large proportion mixed different detergents together but most of them opened the windows while cleaning for ventilation. The majority did not wear gloves and did not follow label directions. The participants were consistently exposed to chemical detergents and minimal precautionary measures were taken. Cleanliness and hygiene had a strong cultural value and were of utmost importance to women who prioritized them over excessive exposure to chemicals. The use of an ergonomics methodology provided access to important information concerning how women make choices that affect their environmental exposure.