The COVID-Triggered Habit Harming Your Health
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted May 29, 2023
Boy, a LOT has changed in the last few years.
COVID altered our lives in so many ways. I used to largely ignore hearing a cough or sneeze in public. But now they get my attention EVERY time.
In fact, protecting myself from them has a side benefit. I’ve dodged many of the other sniffle-and- sneeze-causing bugs we typically battle every season.
Like many others, I have changed how I move through the world. I’m constantly doing almost unconscious risk assessments based on location, crowd size, who I will be with, etc.
And I haven’t even mentioned the dramatic changes in medicine, the economy, and the world yet.
But there’s one thing that’s changed and it’s largely gone unnoticed…
It’s a new habit many of us picked up in the COVID years. And it could be putting you and your family at risk.
Since COVID arrived, many of us have adopted more-rigorous home and work cleaning routines. And the use of disinfectants has skyrocketed as a result.
On the surface, that sounds like a good thing. After all, we’re reducing our exposure to all kinds of potentially sickening bugs. The trouble is, something lurks in many of those disinfectants that could cause far more HARM than good.
They’re called quaternary ammonium compounds or QACs.
Chances are you’ve never even heard of them before. But these powerful disinfectants were marketed as one of the best ways to clean public and private spaces during the pandemic. And as a result, QACs have been used in countless hand sanitizers, wipes, sprays, and foggers.
QACs remain on surfaces for a long time and can become airborne. They’re associated with asthma, skin conditions, and general inflammation in humans.
Even worse, there’s evidence these disinfectants are linked to birth defects, infertility, and an increased risk of antimicrobial resistance when microorganisms become immune to the tools we use to fight them.
This is why a group of over two dozen scientists is sounding the alarm in a review published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
The researchers warn that the increased use of these antimicrobials in homes, healthcare settings, educational environments, public spaces, and workplaces is unhelpful or even harmful. Far safer and just as effective alternatives are available.
Look, I get it. COVID was a wake-up call for all of us.
We suddenly realized just how exposed we are to potentially sickening bugs. In the early days of the pandemic, before we knew much about this new threat, we HAD to do everything we could to reduce our risks.
Naturally, our use of disinfectants increased. And in truth, at the time, it may have saved lives.
But here’s the other truth: research clearly shows that, in MOST cases, simple soap and water do an equally good (or better) job at removing microorganisms from surfaces. And this “old fashioned” dynamic duo does it without ANY of the adverse side effects of QAC disinfectants.
If something “stronger” is needed, plenty of FAR safer products exist.
Hopefully, the scientist’s warning will push the FDA to require clear labeling on products containing QACs in the future. But in the meantime, we’ll have to look out for ourselves.
Get into the habit of checking the labels on your disinfectants and cleaning products. Benzalkonium chloride is the most widely used QAC. Others can be found by looking for the words “ammonium chloride” or anything similar at the end of the ingredient list.
For HELP choosing products, check out the Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning.
P.S. Research has revealed a surprising threat to our gut health. It turns out that how we clean our dishes could be harming our microbiome. CLICK HERE for the gut-churning details.
Source:
“Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: A Chemical Class of Emerging Concern,” Environmental Science & Technology (2023). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c0824
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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