Quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) , commonly used as antimicrobial agents in common household products such as mouthwashes, toothpastes, lozenges, nasal sprays, eye drops, shampoos, lotions, spermicides and household cleaners, among others, impair performance of our cells’ mitochondria , the parts of the cell that convert glucose into other forms of chemical energy, altering – among other things – reproductive function, according to the findings of a new in vitro study by researchers at the University of California (USA).
Concern about the effects of this compound is so great that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned one of the chemicals in certain products and requested more information on another before taking the next step.
“ Disinfectants that we are applying on and in our bodies and using in our environment have been shown to inhibit mitochondrial energy production and the response to cellular estrogen. This raises concern because exposure to other mitochondrial inhibitory substances, such as rotenone and MPTP, is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease “, explains Gino Cortopassi, co-author of the work published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
The researchers examined a collection of 1,600 compounds and drugs in household and pharmaceutical use and two common forms of quaternary ammonium salts (quats) called cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and benzalkonium chloride (BAK) in human tissues under laboratory conditions ( in vitro ), discovering that quats as a class, inhibited mitochondrial function and estrogen signaling (the sex hormone responsible for secondary sexual characteristics in women). These antimicrobials are in literally almost everything. Anything we can imagine related to personal care uses them precisely to keep bacteria at bay.
These anti-estrogenic effects seen in cells could explain the female reproductive toxicity seen in rodents, when a few years ago the same researchers accidentally discovered that quat exposure through a laboratory disinfectant caused fewer heat cycles and lower reproductive rates in females . They also found a link between quats and neural tube birth defects in mice and rats.
“Because exposure to quats is also disrupting the response to the sex hormone estrogen in cells, it could also cause reproductive harm in animals or humans, ” says Cortopassi.
In 2016, the FDA ruled that the antiseptic compounds CPC and BAK were no longer recognized as safe for use in certain products, and requested more tests to determine the risks of BAK.
Cortopassi stated that it is important for his team to take this research to the next level in animal models, as additional studies are needed to determine how these chemicals can accumulate in tissues with regular use, and to understand if quat exposure affects health and the disease in humans.
“This article adds to the growing number of studies finding that quats may not be as safe as previously believed. The work shows that this class of chemicals likely affects living systems. The results of this study are concerning because they almost everyone is exposed to quats on a regular basis, “said researcher Terry Hrubec, who was not involved in the study.
Reference: In Vitro Evaluation of Mitochondrial Function and Estrogen Signaling in Cell Lines Exposed to the Antiseptic Cetylpyridinium Chloride. Sandipan Datta, Guochun He, Alexey Tomilov, Sunil Sahdeo, Michael S. Denison, and Gino Cortopassi. Environmental Health Perspectives. DOI: 10.1289 / EHP1404
