August 27, 2007 | Kids clean, Reviews, asthma, Health, Cleaning products, Pregnancy
We’ve talked about the dangers of alcohol-based hand sanitizers for children. But we’ve also talked recently about back-to-school germs. In the midst of all this, Germ-X sent me a new product to try that’s just showing up on shelves at Wal Mart. It’s an alcohol-free sanitizer with moisturizer, and it’s so new I can’t even find pictures of it online. It’s called Germ-X Advanced Protection, and I did find plenty of reviews and a few news stories toting its benefits though.
I tried it. It’s a foaming sanitizer, feels all nice and silky on the skin. And it has a nice fresh scent. But unfortunately, I can’t give it any more kudos. The active ingredient is Benzalkonium Chloride (BAC). There’s some good information about Benzalkonium Chloride here, but to give you the long and short of it, BAC is one of a group of germicides known as “Quats.” They’re found in tens of thousands of cleaning products and are accumulating in alarming rates. There’s a recognized causal relationship between BAC and asthma, chronic dermatitis, and other immune system disorders.
Scientists and manufacturers cling to tests that say there’s no harm involved when these products are used as recommended. The amount of exposure is minimal and shouldn’t be associated with increased risk of the above problems. Unfortunately there’s no proven way to test for hazards associated with accumulation over time through multiple uses of multiple products. Our advice: Read labels. Know what you’re exposing yourself and your family to. And if you’re pregnant or have small children, avoid the Quats:
Parasterol or benzalkonium chloride, Benzethonium chloride, Cetalkonium chloride, Cetrimide, Cetylpyridinium chloride, Benzyldimethylstearylammonium chloride, Dimethybenzyl ammonium chloride
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