Anyway, hopefully this article doesn't do that to you, because scientists don't know QUATS' effects for sure, nor do they know whether the risk of the QUATS outweighs the risk of the bacteria they kill.
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So the researchers decided to study some QUATS effects on how one part of cells, the mitochondria, functioned.
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There are other bad things QUATS do that researchers already know about, like cause reproductive issues in mice.
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The FDA decided that QUATS in "over-the-counter consumer antiseptic products intended for use with water" were no longer generally recognized as safe in 2016.
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After treating the mitochondria with some of the QUATS, the researchers noticed that ten of the chemicals caused the mitochondria to use less oxygen and produced less ATP, the molecule the body uses for energy.
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The same ingredients used in over-the-counter hand-rubs are also used in hospital hand- rubs: alcohols such as ethanol and isopropanol, sometimes combined with quaternary ammonium cations (quats) such as benzalkonium chloride. Quats are added at levels up to 200 parts per million to increase antimicrobial effectiveness. Although allergy to alcohol-only rubs is rare, fragrances, preservatives and quats can cause contact allergies. These other ingredients do not evaporate like alcohol and accumulate leaving a "sticky" residue until they are removed with soap and water.
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Dow Corning added silane (SiH4) to quaternary ammonia compounds (QACs or quats), to improve the adhesion of QUATs to a variety of surfaces. In doing so, Dow invented a durable class of antimicrobials that are effective against a range of unicellular organisms. At least three private companies are primary in the manufacture of these silane quats known variously as SIQUATS, SIQACs and SILQUATS. Synthesis is typically conducted in a methanol, and water-based formulations range in stability depending on the dilution process and/or the presence of stabilizers and additives.
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Quats are biocides that also kill algae and are used as an additive in large-scale industrial water systems to minimize undesired biological growth.
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Both the copper complex and the quats are positive cations. The counterions (the anions that balance their positive charges) are typically hydroxide , chloride , carbonate or bicarbonate .
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Alkaline copper quaternary, usually abbreviated ACQ, is a type of water-based wood preservative product containing a soluble copper(II) complex and quaternary ammonium alkyl- or aryl-substituted compounds ("quats"). Thus the product was originally called ammoniacal copper/quaternary ammonium.
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Quaternary ammonium cation. The R groups may be the same or different alkyl or aryl groups. Also, the R groups may be connected. Quaternary ammonium cations, also known as quats, are positively charged polyatomic ions of the structure , R being an alkyl group or an aryl group.
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Quaternary ammonium compounds ("quats"), such as benzalkonium chloride, are a large group of related compounds. Some concentrated formulations have been shown to be effective low-level disinfectants. Quaternary ammonia at or above 200ppm plus alcohol solutions exhibit efficacy against difficult to kill non-enveloped viruses such as norovirus, rotavirus, or polio virus. Newer synergous, low- alcohol formulations are highly effective broad-spectrum disinfectants with quick contact times (3–5 minutes) against bacteria, enveloped viruses, pathogenic fungi, and mycobacteria.
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Quats are anti-microbial agents that are found in bathroom cleaners, fabric softeners, and degreasers. They are a class of irritants and sensitizers that negatively affect people who suffer from asthma. Chemicals in this class are persistent in aquatic environments, and toxic to the organisms that live in these environments. Many researchers are concerned that their widespread use in everyday household disinfectants and cosmetics are contributing to antibiotic resistant bacteria, thus limiting microbial infection treatment options.
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Biocides can be added to other materials (typically liquids) to protect them against biological infestation and growth. For example, certain types of quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) are added to pool water or industrial water systems to act as an algicide, protecting the water from infestation and growth of algae. It is often impractical to store and use poisonous chlorine gas for water treatment, so alternative methods of adding chlorine are used. These include hypochlorite solutions, which gradually release chlorine into the water, and compounds like sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione (dihydrate or anhydrous), sometimes referred to as "dichlor", and trichloro-s- triazinetrione, sometimes referred to as "trichlor".
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