As the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, another insidious threat may have been overlooked. In our fervor to fight the virus, potentially harmful substances seeped unnoticed into many of our homes, schools, hospitals, and workplaces.
A new review in Environmental Science & Technology, the product of a collaborative effort by 26 scientists, casts a spotlight on the burgeoning use of quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs. These pervasive chemicals have seen their usage spike amid the pandemic, and the researchers are urging us to reassess their safety.
