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Disinfectant Overkill: What are “Quats” and why are they a problem?

In most cases, quats are total overkill for your everyday household cleaning needs. Unless you plan on doing some open-heart surgery on your kitchen table, there is no need for quats to sterilize the surfaces in your house. We know from lab testing that quats do effectively kill many kinds of microbes like E. Coli and Staph. Aureus – but there are serious potential side effects that comes along with that power. It’s like killing a housefly with a sledgehammer – there is no question the sledgehammer will be very effective (with a direct hit) but the side effects (the gaping holes in your wall) are pretty unpleasant, not to mention unnecessary. Because while quats do kill germs on surfaces,…

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 Do we know enough about the safety of quat disinfectants?

Quaternary ammonium compounds have been widely used as disinfectants for decades. But some scientists think we need more data on their safety in people. Quats entered the market in the early 20th century before the EPA began regulating the manufacture and sale of potentially harmful chemicals under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. As a result, quats counted as existing chemicals on the market that could continue being included in consumer products without being evaluated for safety.