Diffuse Lung Disease & Transplant Network

Occupational & Environmental Health Section

Quaternary ammonium compounds: exposure and lung disease

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACS) are a common ingredient in many major commercial disinfectant products. During the COVID pandemic, the use of QACS increased due to their efficacy in inactivating enveloped viruses such as SARS-COV-2 (Hora, et al. Environ Sci & Technol Letters. 2020;7[9]:622).

While these products reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the increase in use has had unintended consequences. Increasing data suggest a link between QAC exposure and occupational lung disease (Migueres, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021;9[9]:3387). Historically, exposure to QACs has been highest in health care workers. This is reflected in the increased risk of obstructive lung disease seen among nursing and operating room staff (Xie, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4[9] :e2125749). In the setting of enhanced COVID-19 cleaning protocols, QACS are increasingly utilized outside of the health care setting. Custodians and janitorial staff may face increased and potentially underrecognized exposure to these compounds. In addition to the direct harms of COVID-19, we may see an increase in occupational obstructive lung disease as a result of cleaning product exposure. Early diagnosis and exposure removal is crucial to prevent a new epidemic of occupational asthma.

Maeve MacMurdo, MBChB
Member-at-Large

Abirami Subramanian, MD, MPH
Member-at-Large