Benzalkonium Chloride

Contribution of Time, Taxonomy, and Selective Antimicrobials to Antibiotic and Multidrug Resistance in Wastewater Bacteria

“…aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae. − Mechanisms of action of colistin and BC can differ, via β-lactamase inhibition and disruption of the lipid bilayer, respectively. ,, Colistin, a cationic polypeptide, can have a detergent-like effect on cell membranes . Similarly, BC and other quaternary ammonium ions are cationic surfactants, acting by cell-membrane disruption.…”

“…In the United States, measured influent concentrations of TCS in wastewater treatment plants ranged from 2.70 to 26.8 mg/L. − While evidence suggests wastewater TCS concentrations have decreased since the implementation of the FDA’s triclosan bans, it is unclear whether this decrease resulted in a concomitant decrease in resistant microorganisms. Despite decreasing triclosan use, quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) like BC are still present in hospital antiseptics and disinfectants, consumer cleaning products, fabrics, industrial processes, wood surfaces, and more, at concentrations ranging from 60 to over 2000 ppm . BC has been reported in concentrations exceeding 0.11 ppm in Austrian wastewater influent and up to 21 mg/g in U.S. estuarine sediments …”

Current insights into the effects of cationic biocides exposure on Enterococcus spp.

“…Benzalkonium chloride (BC) is a widely used mixture of n-alkyl-dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chlorides, with variable n-alkyl chain lengths, typically ranging from 8 to 18 carbons (Figure 1-1; Gilbert and Moore, 2005;Buffet-Bataillon et al, 2012;Belter et al, 2022). It has been used since the 1930s and its extensive applications span from personal care products (e.g., mouthwashes, shampoos and body lotions), to disinfectants and antiseptics in household, industrial, agricultural, and clinical environments, or as mitigators of microbial metal corrosion within oil pipelines and cooling water systems, with concentrations ranging from 20 mg/L, in ophthalmologic formulations, to 20,000 mg/L, in wood preservation products (Liu et al, 2017;Kampf, 2018a;Pereira and Tagkopoulos, 2019;Short et al, 2021;Kheljan et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2023). BC's concentrations of 100-3,000 mg/L are used for healthcare and household antisepsis and surface disinfection (Kampf, 2018a;Fox et al, 2022).…”

“…QACs are considered "very toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects" by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (European Chemicals Agency [ECHA], 2023a,b). Moreover, QACs are highly biodegradable under aerobic conditions and known to adsorb strongly to the negatively charged surfaces of sludge, soil and sediments, because of their positive charge, interfering with their bioavailability and enabling the fluctuation of QACs' concentrations that can impact local microbiota (Tezel and Pavlostathis, 2015;Zhang et al, 2015;Kampf, 2018a;DeLeo et al, 2020). Further investigation is needed to determine the influence of other factors promoting the environmental persistence of QACs, such as the emergent micropollutants like microplastics, to which QACs may potentially bind (Kim et al, 2022).…”

Data_Sheet_1.PDF

“…Benzalkonium chloride (BC) is a widely used mixture of n-alkyl-dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chlorides, with variable n-alkyl chain lengths, typically ranging from 8 to 18 carbons (Figure 1-1; Gilbert and Moore, 2005;Buffet-Bataillon et al, 2012;Belter et al, 2022). It has been used since the 1930s and its extensive applications span from personal care products (e.g., mouthwashes, shampoos and body lotions), to disinfectants and antiseptics in household, industrial, agricultural, and clinical environments, or as mitigators of microbial metal corrosion within oil pipelines and cooling water systems, with concentrations ranging from 20 mg/L, in ophthalmologic formulations, to 20,000 mg/L, in wood preservation products (Liu et al, 2017;Kampf, 2018a;Pereira and Tagkopoulos, 2019;Short et al, 2021;Kheljan et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2023). BC's concentrations of 100-3,000 mg/L are used for healthcare and household antisepsis and surface disinfection (Kampf, 2018a;Fox et al, 2022).…”