Common disinfectant wipes expose people to dangerous chemicals, research reveals

[eppur_se_muova]

15. I've been wondering about this ever since they were introduced into consumer products ...

I learned about these as a chemistry undergraduate because they were introduced into synthetic chemistry as phase-transfer catalysts. Then, suddenly, they appeared in almost every consumer product imaginable -- It seemed I couldn't read a label without finding a quaternary ammonium salt, but I hadn't heard of any study establishing their use in such products as safe. Given that they might help transport a number of harmful chemical species across cell membranes, this didn't strike me as such a good idea, and I wondered if the large numbers of frogs with bizarre anatomical defects suddenly showing up at about the same time might be a result. Apparently, the latter turned out to be due to the fungal infection that began killing off frog populations across the globe. But I still never saw any study establishing the use of quaternary ammonium salts as safe. Not it appears the opposite has been found, but it's strange that we're just now hearing about it.

Not all the Quaternium compounds are simple tetralkylammonium species, either. At least one -- Quaternium-15 -- is actually derived from hexamethylenetetramine, which is itself made from formaldehyde. Slow hydrolysis of the tetramine nucleus leads to evolution of formaldehyde, which functions as an antimicrobial preservative. These formaldehyde-releasing chemicals are often added to cosmetics, shampoos, etc. to keep them "safe", even though better alternatives are available.