OSLO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Regular use of cleaning sprays can hurt a woman's lungs as badly as smoking 20 cigarettes a day, according to a new study by scientists in Norway, Newsweek reported.

After tracking 6,000 people who used such products for 20 years, the team found lung function decline in women who regularly used cleaning products, suggesting that exposure related to cleaning activities may "constitute a risk to long-term respiratory health."

The lung function decline was equivalent to that caused by a smoking habit of 20 cigarettes a day, scientists at Norway's University of Bergen noted in the paper published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The scientists advised women cleaning at home or working as occupational cleaners to avoid such cleaning products and use microfiber cloths and water instead.

According to the study, the products affect the lung capacity of women more than men, though scientists said that much fewer male participants joined the study compared with female ones.