ACI Responds to Study that Questions Quats

WASHINGTON -- The American Cleaning Institute has responded to what it calls “irresponsible headlines and stories attempting to summarize a study published in the journal ‘Nature Neuroscience’ which “distort the safety and beneficial use of quaternary ammonium compounds.”

The key ingredient in many disinfectants comes from a family of chemistries known as quaternary ammonium compounds (quats or QACs for short). Quats are a group of chemicals used for a variety of purposes, including as preservatives, surfactants, antistatic agents and as active ingredients for disinfectants and sanitizers.

Quats are highly effective at killing bacteria, fungi, and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and are found in many common disinfectant products.

ACI said quats are a key ingredient in trusted products used in household, commercial, medical, food service, food and beverage processing, and institutional sites.

According to an abstract for an article entitled “Pervasive environmental chemicals impair oligodendrocyte development,” exposure to environmental chemicals can impair neurodevelopment, and oligodendrocytes may be particularly vulnerable, as their development extends from gestation into adulthood.

An oligodendrocyte is a type of glial cell, which forms the myelin sheath (a layer that covers and protects nerve cells) in the brain and spinal cord.

‘Nature Neuroscience’ reports that few environmental chemicals have been assessed for potential risks to oligodendrocytes. Using a high-throughput developmental screen in cultured cells, researchers identified environmental chemicals in two classes that disrupt oligodendrocyte development through distinct mechanisms.

Quaternary compounds, ubiquitous in disinfecting agents and personal care products, were potently and selectively cytotoxic to developing oligodendrocytes, whereas organophosphate flame retardants, commonly found in household items such as furniture and electronics, prematurely arrested oligodendrocyte maturation.

Chemicals from each class impaired oligodendrocyte development postnatally in mice and in a human 3D organoid model of prenatal cortical development. Analysis of epidemiological data showed that adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes were associated with childhood exposure to the top organophosphate flame retardant identified by our screen. This work identifies toxicological vulnerabilities for oligodendrocyte development and highlights the need for deeper scrutiny of these compounds’ impacts on human health.

ACI said, “cleaning product and disinfectant manufacturers and regulatory authorities are regularly reviewing scientific articles examining the use and potential effects of these products and chemistries to ensure they remain safe and effective and provide the benefits we all require.”

ACI said its member manufacturers make product safety a top priority. Rigorous safety tests are in place for human health that are evaluated by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval and compliance with all regulatory guidelines.

Disinfecting products, including those with quats, are highly regulated and evaluated by the EPA and FDA (which regulates their use in antibacterial soaps), as well as many international authorities such as the European Commission.

For products containing quats to make it to the market, they must undergo a high level of rigorous testing in order to determine the impacts they may have on human health and the environment. Products can only be registered if data show that the intended uses (as described on the product labels) are safe when used as directed.

An active ingredient is the chemical in a product that is doing the ‘job’ the product says it does, such as disinfection. All disinfection active ingredients in cleaning products must go through extensive Agency review. For that review, the EPA requires a wide variety of scientific data for every active ingredient (such as quats) in disinfecting products. This includes acute (short term) and chronic (long term) studies on how it may affect people when it is used.

In addition to the underlying active ingredient, these data are required for each finished product, and in addition to conducting full risk assessments on each active ingredient, EPA also requires acute studies for each finished product: this includes skin, eye, inhalation toxicity and irritation, as well as oral toxicity. Data supporting each finished product must be reviewed and approved by EPA before it can be distributed in the United Sates.

The EPA’s process for approval of surface disinfectants is one of the most data-intensive regulatory system in the U.S. To register a chemical for disinfectant use, EPA generally requires more than 20 types of toxicological data involving potentially more than 30 individual toxicological studies to ensure the disinfectant poses no unreasonable acute or long-term risk to humans of all ages.

ACI also points out a 2021 review article, “Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: Perspectives on Benefits, Hazards, and Risk, published in Toxicology Research and Application,” which noted:

“As active antimicrobial agents, QACs and QAC-containing consumer and professional products are highly regulated by authorities such as the US Environmental Protection Agency and the European Chemicals Agency. A complete database of guideline safety studies, covering human and environmental health, is available and has been reviewed by multiple regulatory agencies globally. The conclusions of regulatory agencies from these studies indicate no concerns regarding reproductive effects, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, or other systemic adverse effects.” 

Additional resources: www.cleaninginstitute.org/understanding-products/disinfectants/quaternary-ammonium-compounds-faq-common-disinfectant.