Question: "I have a customer that one of their member suggested that they use a alcohol base disinfectant vs. a Quat based disinfectant. Because, he said it was a safer product for humans and it did not create super bugs. What do you think about his analogy?
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Steve’s Answer: Unfortunately there is no “perfect” answer to this question as ALL disinfectants are technically “toxic” because they are compounds specifically formulated to kill living organism or to prevent them from reproducing.
The issue of creating “super bugs” is all speculation based on the ability for organisms to mutate, which we have observed in antibiotic resistant bacterial strains (i.e. MRSA). But there is little real evidence that this happens with disinfectants. The reason we pay attention to it is based on the “precautionary principle” which suggests that if we can accomplish the task with two products --- one with a potential (even if small) and one with no potential for harm, we would prefer using the one with no or lower potential to do harm even when there is little current scientific proof (data) that harm will occur.
So if all things were equal, I too would prefer a product with little concern that organisms will mutate and result in super bugs.
However, alcohol based disinfectants have their own set of issues. In concentrate, they tend to be poisonous if accidentally ingested. They may also be flammable. They are high in VOCs and contribute to atmospheric smog and can be a respiratory irritant and asthma trigger. And my suspicion is that they are more expensive than quats as well.
So there are clearly tradeoffs --- the things we know to be problems versus some concerns that may in fact exist that could also be serious. Ultimately the customer once informed of ALL the issues will make the decision that is right for them.
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