Jason A. Tetro, , Faraz A. Alderson, Syed A. Sattar | ScienceDirect Journal (2024)
The use of disinfectants is a hallmark of infection prevention and control (IPAC) in general. Over the decades, various chemicals have been manufactured and sold for this purpose. Today over 4 billion dollars of disinfectants are purchased annually in the United States alone. This amount has nearly doubled in recent years mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) representing nearly one-third of the entire market.
The rapid increase in the marketing and subsequent uptake of QACs is due in part to their rapid acceptance by government regulators as being active against SARS-CoV-2. There is little doubt of the prominence of QACs and from an IPAC perspective, this may seem beneficial. However, there are emerging safety concerns that need to be addressed. This stems from the fact that QACs naturally demonstrate a curariform-like activity with a potential for human toxicity.
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