Occupational exposure to chemical substances and health outcomes among hospital environmental services workers: A scoping review of international studies

Abstract

Environmental services (EVS) workers are essential to preventing the spread of disease in hospitals. However, their exposure to hazardous chemicals and drugs is understudied. This scoping review will synthesize literature on hazardous chemical exposures and adverse health outcomes among EVS workers to identify research gaps and trends for further investigation. The scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to ensure complete and accurate reporting. The scoping review included 25 studies on occupational exposure to chemicals among EVS workers in hospitals. Most studies focused on exposure to cleaning products, which led to dermal, respiratory, and ocular symptoms, oxidative stress, and inflammation. While personal protective equipment (PPE), training, education, and policies have the potential to enhance safety, further research is required to examine the long-term impacts of exposure and the cost-effectiveness of interventions. Future studies should utilize longitudinal approaches and self-reported data collection methods, such as diaries and interviews, to comprehensively assess exposure risks and develop effective interventions and policies. Future research is needed to understand the potential health risks faced by EVS workers from exposure to chemicals in hospitals. Longitudinal studies with objective exposure assessments and larger sample sizes should be conducted. Policies and interventions must be developed and implemented to improve safe work practices and reduce negative health outcomes.

Keywords:

• Chemical substances
• health outcomes
• occupational exposure
• underserved worker
• vulnerable population

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Elizabeth Scott Carrington Nursing Scholarship award, the Hillman Advancing Early Research Opportunities (AERO) grant award, the Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholars Program award on Environmental Health, and the National Institutes of Health-funded T32 Pre‐Doctoral Trainee grant award: Interventions for Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness.