Quaternary ammonium compounds – new occupational hazards

Abstract

StreszczenieCzwartorzędowe związki amoniowe (quaternary ammonium compounds -QACs) należą do organicznych związków jonowych o unikalnych właściwościach surfaktantów i środków odkażających. Coraz szersze zastosowanie QACs w środowisku pracy, a także poza nim, niesie ze sobą nowe zagrożenia zdrowotne dla osób eksponowanych i służby medycyny pracy. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki przeglądu piśmiennictwa na temat wpływu amin czwartorzędowych na organizm człowieka. QACs mogą działać drażniąco na skórę i błony śluzowe, a także mieć potencjał uczulający. Podejrzewa się, że poszczególne QACs mogą wykazywać krzyżową reaktywność immunologiczną między sobą oraz z innymi związkami chemicznymi o podobnej budowie, np. z lekami anestetycznymi. QACs mogą promować rozwój alergii w obrębie dróg oddechowych, jakkolwiek mechanizmy leżące u podstawy tego działania wymagają dalszych badań. Dotychczas opisano kilka przypadków astmy zawodowej wywołanej ekspozycją na QACs oraz udokumentowano ich udział w rozwoju kontaktowego zapalenia skóry. Nie wyklucza się także możliwości wywołania wstrząsu anafilaktycznego przez QACs. Med. Pr. 2014;65(5):675-682 Słowa kluczowe: alergia zawodowa, czwartorzędowe związki amoniowe, QACs, chlorek benzalkonium, BAC, środki odkażające AbstractQuaternary ammonium compounds (QACs, quats) belong to organic ionic chemical agents which display unique properties of both surfactants and disinfectants. Their wide distribution in the work environment and also in private households brings about new occupational hazards. This paper reviews reports about the health effects of QACs. QACs could play a role of sensitizers and irritants to the skin and mucous membranes. It is suspected that particular QACs can display an immunologic crossreactivity between each other and with other chemical compounds containing ammonium ion, such as muscle relaxants widely used in anesthesia. They may promote the development of airway allergy, however, the background mechanisms are still unclear and need to be further investigated. Until now, a few cases of occupational asthma induced by QACs have been described and their involvement in contact dermatitis has been documented. The possibility of anaphylaxis due to QACs cannot be excluded as well. Med Pr 2014;65(5):675-682

Study of the influence of surfactants on the paper properties and degradation

“…Because of antimicrobial properties of quaternary ammonium compounds, they are used in the food and medical industries for surfaces, appliances and tools of cleaning. These materials have a variety of industrial and consumer applications, including use in drilling muds, fabric softeners, hair conditioners, emulsifying agents and sanitizers/disinfectants [22,23]. It has been determined that the microbiological effect on paper is about 1% of aqueous solutions of quaternary ammonium compounds.…”

“…It was also found that the balance of quaternary ammonium compounds on paper (up to 400 ppm) did not have a significant effect on paper aging processes [24]. Also, quaternary ammonium compounds are used as chemical corrosion inhibitors, plasticisers for textile and paper production and anti-static agents for cellulose fibers [22,25].…”

Quaternary ammonium biocides as antimicrobial agents protecting historical wood and brick.

“…Compounds having 12-14 carbon atoms in the aliphatic chain show the highest surface activity. In turn, negatively charged chlorine ions increase the biocidal activity (Obłąk & Gamian, 2010;Lipińska-Ojrzanowska & Walasiuk-Skorupa, 2014). Due to the broad spectrum of activity and high thermal stability, among others, QACs are used as active ingredients in biocides.…”

“…It has been found that QACs are more efficient against Grampositive than Gram-negative bacteria. When QACs are used as disinfectants, the concentration applied is almost always below 1000 ppm (Tezel & Pavlostathis, 2011;Lipińska-Ojrzanowska & Walasiuk-Skorupa, 2014). They are used in medicine and many industries (food, cosmetics, paper) as biocides and even drugs (Raghavendra, 2002;Xiao et al, 2008).…”

“…Quaternary ammonium salts are also used in the restoration of historical buildings (Karbowska-Berent et al, 2011;Sterflinger & Piñar, 2013;Stupar et al, 2014), as ingredients of pesticides and wood preservatives (Dubois & Ruddick, 1998;Tezel & Pavlostathis, 2011), where they primarily act as antifungal compounds. They are also used as chemical corrosion inhibitors, plasticizers in the production of textiles and paper, or antistatic agents for materials such as cotton or cellulose fibres (Obłąk & Gamian, 2010;Lipińska-Ojrzanowska & Walasiuk-Skorupa, 2014).…”