A study reveals that the residue left by commercial household products contains a wide range of compounds that can impact indoor air quality, much more than previously thought.
- Since the appearance of COVID-19, surfaces in public spaces but also in housing have been cleaned more often.
- Commercial disinfectant products eliminate germs while leaving compounds on surfaces, likely to impact indoor pollution.
- The composition of the film left on surfaces was found to be greater and “more complex than previously thought.”
One of the reflexes, when Covid-19 appeared, was to turn to household disinfectant products to clean surfaces in homes, offices and public spaces. While these solutions eliminate germs well, they do not leave objects completely “naked”. Researchers from the Universities of Michigan and Colorado reported that they leave a thin film on the surface, containing a wider range of volatile organic compounds than previously thought.
Their report was published in ACS ES&T AirJanuary 25, 2024.
Commercial Cleaning Products: More Compounds Than Expected
The existence of volatile organic compounds, originating among other things from cooking or cleaning, capable of impacting indoor air quality has been known for years. Researcher Rachel O’Brien and her colleagues wanted to identify the exact nature of the residue film left behind by commercially available disinfectant products.
Using an interior surface solvent extractor, the team collected “films” left by disinfectants on surfaces cleaned in a controlled laboratory and on regularly washed surfaces in university buildings. With this method, researchers have detected a wide range of chemical compounds, including substances that barely evaporate. The collected samples were analyzed by mass spectrometry.
The results revealed that commercial cleaning products were different on model surfaces in the laboratory and those in university buildings. Moreover, they were more complex than previously thought. While the composition of the films left on the surface was different, all samples contained semi-volatile organic compounds that can spread through the air and impact indoor air quality. The range of chemical elements collected was greater than the team expected at the start of the study.
The scientists added in a press release that their work confirmed: “the presence of less volatile surfactants, the main components of soaps, in residues believed to come from cleaning solutions. However, the effects of surfactants on surface films have not yet been defined.”
Household products: we must study their impact on air pollution
As a result of these findings, researchers believe that more compounds may be deposited on cleaned surfaces than previously identified. For them, a wider range of chemicals should be considered to contribute to the formation of interior surface films. It would therefore be necessary to carry out new studies on commercial disinfectants, particularly on indoor air quality.
“And given the scale and regularity of cleaning carried out in public spaces and homes, further research is needed to determine the effects of less volatile compounds on film growth and behavior.”they warn in a communicated.
