Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of (a) disinfectant and (b) bleach on the incidence and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Public Health England (PHE) has not conducted any assessment on the effects of disinfectant or bleach on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Preliminary research by scientists at Harvard University and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research found an association between an increase in the incidence of COPD in nurses that frequently used bleach and other cleaning products. This is the first to report such an effect. PHE will monitor any further developments and research in this area.