Chemicals found in the disinfectants that are being used extensively during COVID could be undermining our health. Action Alert!
Some researchers are raising the alarm about quaternary ammonium compounds, or quats, that are commonly found in the disinfectants, hand sanitizers, and sanitizing wipes being used by households and businesses to protect against the COVID-19 virus. Quats are being linked with fertility problems as well as other endocrine disrupting effects. We must demand that these chemicals be pulled from the market so they can be studied properly for safety.
Published studies have found that mice exposed to quats produced fewer pups than those that were not exposed to the chemicals. Other research has found that quats are potent compounds at inhibiting mitochondrial activity.
Animal studies and cellular studies are demonstrating the harm these chemicals can cause, and our exposure to them is increasing dramatically on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in Maricopa County, Arizona, restaurants are required to sanitize customer areas after each sitting with disinfectants, including the table cloth, chairs, table tops, and condiment holders. Grocery stores are spraying and wiping shopping carts after each use. These chemicals are everywhere. Quats stay active on surfaces for up to two weeks.
The Environmental Protection Agency has given industry a pass on these chemicals for decades. Quats entered the market in the early 20th century, before legislation was passed in 1976 allowing for the regulation of potentially dangerous chemicals. Because quats were on the market when the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act was passed, they were allowed to stay on the market without being evaluated for safety. The EPA is currently updating risk assessments for quats, which will be released for public comment in 2021. How many of us will have been exposed to unsafe levels of these chemicals by then, given their extensive use in public and private spaces?
Quat disinfectants aren’t only dangerous, they are unnecessary. Soap and water is sufficient to protect against the coronavirus. Additionally, rubber gloves can be worn when shopping to protect the skin, but this won’t protect against sprayed droplets in the air. The EPA needs to act now by pulling these chemicals from the market. At the very least, the EPA should remove these chemicals from the list of approved disinfectants the agency recommends for COVID-19, which currently includes 235 quat products.
As we’ve been writing over the past few months, this isn’t the only example of simple and safe solutions to protect us against COVID being largely ignored. The FDA and the FTC are actively working to keep information from the public about how natural medicine can help protect us from COVID-19 infection. This is costing us lives and has to stop.
Action Alert! Write to the EPA, telling them to pull quats from the market immediately given the increased use and the documented dangers of these chemicals. Please send your message immediately. By sending this message, you will also be supporting our petition to ungag doctors so that they can share with patients the benefits of supplements and natural treatments for COVID.
