Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Cleaning Products

1 quaternary ammonium compounds in cleaning products this information sheet reviews the recognition assessment and treatment of possible adverse health effects of prod ucts containing alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides and several other quaternary ammonium compounds qacs or quats used in cleaning and disinfection.

Quaternary ammonium compounds cleaning products.

There are three ways disinfectants can be applied to surfaces. Quaternary ammonium compounds are nitrogenous organic compounds used as disinfectants in restaurants hospitals and homes. Quaternary ammonium compounds or quats are chemicals that are used in a variety of different personal care products from spermicidal jellies to disinfectants. The basic chemical structure of ammonium is a nitrogen atom with four hydrogen atoms attached around it.

They are used as conditioning agents to give skin and hair a smooth feel. Research has shown quaternary ammonium compounds to effectively kill most bacteria viruses and fungi. Sodium borate also known as borax and boric acid are added to many products as cleaning agents enzyme stabilizers or for other functions. Quaternary ammonium compounds quats like benzalkonium chloride found in antibacterial spray cleaners and fabric softeners can cause asthma.

To reduce the threat of quat binding custodial executives must train staff on the pros and cons of various disinfecting techniques. Quaternary ammonium compounds are widely used as surface disinfectants and can be found in many household cleaners including disinfectant wipes and sprays. Quaternary ammonium compounds biomonitoring california 4 march 4 2020 sgp meeting concentrations in this sample were 1 5 micrograms per cubic meter µg m3 benzyltetradecyldimethyl ammonium chloride 14 carbon c chain length 0 96 µg m3 benzylhexadecyldimethyl ammonium chloride c16 and 0 23 µg m3 benzyldodecyldimethyl ammonium chloride c12 which were comparable proportions. Washington march 5 2020 today the u s.

The final part of this three part article gives tips using quaternary ammonium chloride products. Using the correct disinfectant is an important part of preventing and reducing the spread of illnesses along with other critical aspects such as hand washing. The main findings were that the virus can be efficiently inactivated within one minute by disinfectants found in common cleaning products over a minimum concentration including 62 ethanol 0 5. It is often the stuff that allows a product to claim to be antibacterial as they are certified by the epa as pesticides.