Breathing in common cleaning products may cause more serious health damage than accidentally drinking them
One study found that breathing in particles from commonly used cleaning products can cause serious lung damage, which is much more harmful than accidentally drinking them.
A compound found in hundreds of disinfectant sprays sold in the UK, including Lysol and Clorox, has been linked to a range of harmful lung conditions.
The substance, known as quaternary ammonium, or QAC, has been used in cleaning products since the 1940s and has long been known to be toxic if accidentally ingested.
But researchers now believe it may cause even more damage to the lungs when inhaled.
Scientists at the University of California, Davis, tested the blood of mice that were exposed to levels of airborne particles similar to those in the air people breathe when spraying disinfectant around the house.
The substance has been shown to cause significantly more damage to the lungs when it enters the respiratory tract than if ingested.
Lead author Dr. D., a biochemist and pharmacologist at the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine. “The surprising result of this study is that these compounds cause 100 times more lung damage and 100 times more lethality when inhaled than when ingested,” said Gino Cortopassi.
‘Given the proven lung toxicity in mice, we need to question whether we really want all these QAC-based disinfectant sprays in the environment.’
A chemical ingredient found in hundreds of disinfectant sprays marketed in the UK, including big brands such as Lysol and Clorox, causes a range of debilitating respiratory diseases (stock photo)
The team’s background investigations revealed that a shocking eight out of ten people had traces of QAC in their bloodstream.
The substance is believed to affect the way the body’s cells produce energy.
A 2021 study found that participants with the highest levels of QAC in their blood also had the lowest energy levels in their mitochondria, the energy-producing part of the cell.
Low mitochondrial energy production has been associated with chronic fatigue, muscle weakness and brain fog.
QAC exposure has also been associated with skin and eye irritation, inflammation, metabolic disruption, and lung conditions including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
