COVID-19: Are you using too much of sanitisers, disinfectants?

The disinfectant industry saw an unprecedented boom during the Covid pandemic. The cleaning protocols of the time required disinfecting of the surfaces after every use. Consumer spending on cleaning products increased 12 per cent between 2019 and 2021 in the United States, New York Times reported.

While the extra cleaning did generate awareness about personal hygiene necessary to limit the spread of Covid, it also increased people's exposure to the chemicals used in those products.

Experts now say that repeated inhalation or skin contact can be harmful over time. This becomes significant amid rising calls to poison control centres due to accidental or intentional ingestion of such products.

The most prevalent disinfecting chemicals are quaternary ammonium compounds, also known as "quats" or Q.A.C.s. A 2021 study found that the presence of Q.A.C.s in human blood was linked to disrupted immune and metabolic functions. In mice, exposure to Q.A.C.s decreased fertility.

"Exposure to Q.A.C.s is widespread, which was the case before Covid as well, but it definitely has increased since the pandemic," Amina Salamova, an assistant professor of environmental health at Emory University, was quoted as saying by New York Times.

But Salamova cautions that larger studies to look into potential outcomes in the general population in nonoccupational settings are needed.

In the case of Bleach, a more familiar disinfectant, its corrosive nature means that it can be damaging to skin and eyes if contact occurs. It has also been shown in numerous studies to be linked to asthma, among professional cleaners as well as people who use it frequently in the home.

A New York Times report adds that most experts they reached out to opt for soap and water as disinfectants.

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"Even a dash of dish soap with a bit of baking soda can help remove that scum off your sink or out of your bathtub, and that can really help you to avoid some of the heavier, harsher chemicals," Samara Geller, senior director of cleaning science at the Environmental Working Group, was quoted as saying by the paper.

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