Q: Why should consumers care what’s in their cleaning products? A : Exposure to cleaning products may cause or exacerbate certain health conditions. Fumes from some cleaning products can induce asthma in otherwise healthy individuals and exacerbate asthma in people who already have the disease. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) “has found that nearly 10% of all work-related asthma cases are caused by exposure to cleaning products.”[i] CDPH is concerned that the use of some cleaning products in schools may contribute to asthma in students and workers.[ii] About 8 percent of adults and children in California have asthma, with almost 200,000 new cases diagnosed each year.[iii] Asthma is much more prevalent in lower income communities.[iv] Children born to women who held cleaning jobs while pregnant have an elevated risk of birth defects, according to a 2010 study by the New York State Department of Health.[vi] Q: Who is at most risk from these adverse effects?...