"“It’s ironic that the chemicals we’re deploying in vain for one health crisis are actually fueling another.”"

"Disinfectants have had a moment since the COVID-19 pandemic began — and scientists are warning that this widespread use is spurring health problems, antimicrobial resistance and harming the environment.

“It’s ironic that the chemicals we’re deploying in vain for one health crisis are actually fueling another,” Erica Hartmann, a co-author of a new study examining the dangers of disinfectants and an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University, said in a statement.

Hartmann and colleagues’ new study, published today in Environmental Science & Technology, examines quaternary ammonium compounds, or quats, which are used in disinfectants and personal care products. They reviewed the existing environmental and human health science on quats, which have been used much more since the pandemic began, and found that the compounds are linked to asthma, dermatitis, inflammation, infertility, birth defects and other problems. They can also harm aquatic life and cause antimicrobial resistance, which can make drug-resistant viruses and bacteria."

Brian Bienkowski reports for Environmental Health News May 9, 2023. [2]