Found in every home: cleaning products that severely harm fertility

Almost every time we clean the house, disinfect surfaces, or use personal care products, we come into contact with a common group of chemicals called QACs — disinfectants from the quaternary ammonium family. They are everywhere — from household cleaning products to eye drops and cosmetics. But a new and disturbing study published in the journal "Reproductive Toxicology" reveals a dark and quiet side of these substances: they may disrupt the hormonal system and severely harm fertility.

Until now, we knew that these substances could cause skin irritation or respiratory problems. However, a team of researchers decided to examine in depth what happens in the body under constant exposure to these substances. In experiments conducted on mice, it turned out that exposure to the disinfectants deeply and directly harms the reproductive system of both males and females.

The main findings of the study point to several worrying phenomena: in all subjects, there was a sharp decrease in the levels of hormones responsible for the functioning of the reproductive system. In pregnant females, a significant decrease in estrogen and progesterone hormones was observed, which could lead to complications and miscarriages.

In addition, the study found that the cleaning agents do not kill sperm cells immediately, but impair their production process over time. This damage manifests itself in impaired fertilization ability that is only discovered after some time. Also, the substances damage vital cells in the testicles that are responsible for the protection and nourishment of sperm cells, and even destroy the natural protective barrier intended to prevent toxic substances from penetrating them.

The most frightening point is that mice that were exposed only "passively" — that is, lived in rooms where these disinfectants were used as usual — also developed negative hormonal changes in their bodies, without having ingested them or come into direct contact with them.

Although the study has so far been conducted on animals, the scientists warn that the findings should turn on a red light for all of us. In an era where infertility rates in the world are constantly rising, and the use of disinfectants has increased significantly since the coronavirus pandemic, understanding how everyday chemicals affect our body is becoming more critical than ever.