Virginia Research Day 2022

Medical Student Research Cl inical

11 COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts On Use Of Quaternary Ammonium Compound (QAC) Disinfectants In Private Practice Clinics Across Arizona And Michigan

Sara A. Worrill; Brianna R. Childress; Sasha V. Margob; Kathrine A. Gaiko; Theresa J. McCann; Terry C. Hrubec Corresponding author: sworrill@vcom.edu

VCOM Virginia

equivalents will be used to compare changes in disinfection practices. All analyses will be 2-tailed with statistical significance set at p<.05, and 95% confidence intervals will be provided for outcomes. We hypothesize that the use of disinfectants have increased in medical offices throughout the nation due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a likewise increase in QAC product usage. This is an ongoing project. To date, 159 practices have been contacted with a response rate of 3.14%. Preliminary results indicate an increase in the frequency of disinfecting practices which used QACs and isopropyl alcohol. Unforeseen challenges have resulted in lower than expected survey response rate, in part due to surveying busy medical practices during a pandemic.

contain QAC residues in their blood. These exposed individuals demonstrated a dose dependent increase in markers of inflammation and a decline in mitochondrial function with increasing blood QAC concentration. This study assesses the changes in disinfectant procedures and product usage in private medical office settings with a focus on QAC containing compounds. Three groups have been created to survey private practices in multiple states across the country; this group will focus on Michigan and Arizona. Practices are being surveyed by telephone and email with a goal of 100 responses. Offices are being asked a standardized set of questions regarding the types of disinfectants being used, changes in cleaning products due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as changes in the frequency of cleaning and cleaning procedures during the pandemic. Descriptive statistics with means and proportions will be used to describe the data. Normality and distribution of data will be assessed. Paired t-tests or non-parametric

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfection procedures and products within healthcare facilities have changed. SARS- CoV-2 has the ability to persist on surfaces for up to 9 days and to shed from asymptomatic persons; regular disinfecting of common areas is essential for infection control. Of the many products listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as effective against SARS-CoV-2, over half contain a Quaternary Ammonium Compound (QAC) as the active ingredient. QACs are present in a wide variety of consumer and industrial products: surface disinfectants, detergents, preservatives, emulsifying agents, deodorizers, as well as hair and laundry products. Though widely considered safe, QACs have been linked to medical complications with continued exposure. Asthma and contact dermatitis are common in people who have frequent exposure. Developmental, reproductive and immune toxicity is documented from animal studies. Evaluation of population wide exposure has found that 80% of individuals

This research was funded in part by VCOM and is IRB exempt.

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