Are you comfortable with what's in your cleaning products?

What are quats?

Quaternary ammonium compounds, or "quats", are potent chemicals most commonly found in disinfecting wipes, sprays and other cleaning products.

They kill germs by sticking to surfaces and breaking the outer layers of bacteria and viruses.

Because quats also cut static and soften fibers, they are also found in fabric softeners, hair conditioners, antistatic sprays, skin lotions and unfortunately even some baby wipes.

Quats can cause lung problems

20% of work-related asthma cases in California are janitors regularly exposed to quats.

In one study, rats breathing small amounts of quats developed nasal ulcers and lung inflammation. No safe levels could be found.

Quats can irritate the skin

Benzalkonium chloride is a well-known irritant that can cause both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis.

According to another study, workers who use cleaning products containing quats are 2x more likely to have a skin disorder.

Quats have reproductive health concerns

One study showed that nurses who frequently used quat-based disinfectants took about 25% longer to get pregnant.

Another study showed that male mice exposed to quats had fewer babies and worse sperm concentration and motility.

Quats harm the aquatic ecosystem

Quats are not readily biodegradable, so they stick around when they enter water systems.

They are toxic to the beneficial microbes that balance nitrogen and ammonia levels in water sources.

Quats are also toxic to numerous fish species.

How to identify products with quats

Most cleaning products disclose their ingredients either on an "active ingredient" panel on the front label or a list of ingredients on the back label. Quats will look like:

Benzalkonium chloride (BZK)
Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride
Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
N-alkyl dimethyl benzyl
N-alkyl dimethylethyl benzyl ammonium chloride
Lauryl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride

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