The coronavirus pandemic appears to have spawned a culture of fear of germs, with many enthusiastically dumping sanitizer in their homes. Not surprisingly, sales of household cleaning products have soared 195 percent on COVID concerns.
Public areas are also hypervigilant hygiene centers. In office buildings, schools, gyms, movie theaters, and restaurants, foggers spray disinfectants on desks, chairs, counters, and tables.
But what price is excessive sanitation taking on our health? And how much is it really doing to protect us from infection?
Is it important to disinfect surfaces during COVID?
In short: not much.
Our knowledge of how SARS-CoV-2 spreads has changed over time. Initially, the World Health Organization and others highlighted transmission by close contact, with some transmission through contaminated surfaces, or what we call fomites , so it was reasonable for people to disinfect surfaces frequently and routinely .
But now it is clear that airborne transmission is driving the pandemic. At this point, we know that while fomite streaming can happen, it is not the dominant mode. There will be no super-spread event through fomites, whereas with airborne transmission we have seen outbreaks where 90 percent of the people in space are contaminated by one person.
The number of viral particles is more pronounced when it travels through the air. If an unmasked person with COVID coughs on a table and then rubs his hand and sticks his finger up his nose, he will not get as much virus into his system as he would if the person were to cough into his face.
Hands are bad transmitters of the virus. Moving pathogens from a fomite to a portal entrance, such as the eyes, mouth, or nose, is not an effective way to spread infection. Also, if you touch a contaminated surface, simply washing your hands will prevent the virus from spreading.
The reality is that the problem is shared air, not shared surfaces. And the effective method to kill the virus in the air is to dilute or filter the respiratory particles through ventilation.
What if there is disinfectant in the air you breathe?
Most disinfectant sprays include volatile organic compounds. These are designed to evaporate quickly. They volatilize, which means that the chemicals start out in a liquid solution but then enter the gaseous phase where they can be inhaled through the air.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to certain compounds can cause eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches loss of coordination; nausea; damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system; and cancer .
You are using these chemicals on surfaces to alter the biology of a virus or bacteria, so it would make sense that they would not be benign on your own cells if inhaled.
The effect these toxins have on your health depends on the concentration to which you are exposed, which is determined by the amount of disinfectant used and how quickly it is diluted through ventilation.
Companies clean so frequently that levels of volatile organic compounds build up in the air, creating a potential respiratory hazard for the people in that space. Ventilation rates also vary by season, for example if the windows are open in good weather.
So if your workplace or your kids’ school fog up the surfaces at the end of the day, the compounds will dilute enough the next morning that they don’t pose a health hazard, even if the room is poorly ventilated.
But it’s a different story if you’re the one constantly spraying sanitizer. It is the acute exposure that is of concern. And for workers like janitors who have to apply these chemicals all day on the job, it’s a particular concern.
4 other side effects of regular use of disinfectants
They can irritate your skin
Many people comment on the appearance of rashes on the hands since the pandemic began. Contact dermatitis manifests as redness and inflammation, while eczema causes dry, scaly, and itchy skin. Both can be allergic reactions to frequent use of hand sanitizers and sanitizers.
If you have contact dermatitis or eczema, wear gloves when cleaning your home and choose to wash your hands instead of disinfectant. Wet your hands at least three times a day. The best time to do this is right after washing your hands, so that the cream absorbs and seals the skin barrier to retain moisture.
It can weaken your immune system
It sounds counterintuitive, but an environment that is too clean can make it difficult for your body to fight infection.
One theory, called the hygiene hypothesis , suggests that children need exposure to germs to “educate” their immune systems so they can learn to defend themselves against infections. This is particularly important in the first years of life, when the immune system is developing. Research has found that children who grow up in an overly sterile home are more prone to allergic diseases, such as eczema, asthma, food allergies, and allergic rhinitis.
What’s more, because “good” bacteria play a crucial role in fending off infection and keeping people of all ages healthy, even adult immune function is affected by excessive hygiene.
Excessive cleaning will destroy both good and bad bacteria. When you grasp a sanitizing wipe with your bare hands, you will kill the microbiome of helpful bacteria on your skin, which in turn can harm your gut microbiome. For adults, the effects are fleeting and good bacteria will start to grow within hours of touching the sanitizer.
But for young children, the effect can be long-lasting. It is difficult to re-develop a thriving microbiome after the first three years of life. If you’ve lost some of the good bacteria, getting them back into your body is challenging.
So you’re wondering how to balance a clean, virus-free home without killing healthy bacteria. Aside from the kitchen , which must be scrubbed thoroughly every day to kill foodborne pathogens, limit deep cleaning to once a week and use only disinfectant products in the bathroom .
Meanwhile, keep a clean environment without introducing outside dirt. Do not use s shoes in the house and letting everything that has been exposed to the outside world by the entrance.
For example, hang coats, backpacks, and purses on hooks near the door, instead of hanging them on the couch or kitchen counter. That way, if someone sneezed into your jacket while you were gone, those viral particles are less likely to spread to the main living area.
Could cause tummy problems for children and pets
Young children frequently put their hands and other objects in their mouths. Dogs and cats have a tendency to lick surfaces. If some of the toxic chemicals used in disinfectant products are accidentally ingested, gastrointestinal upset such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting can occur.
In addition to cleaning less frequently, use products that disinfect with rubbing alcohol . The body destroys alcohol fairly quickly, so it is not as dangerous as other chemical cleaning ingredients. On the other hand, you should avoid products with chlorine and quaternary ammonium.
Respiratory conditions may appear
Certain health problems can make your respiratory system more sensitive to the toxic irritants in disinfectant sprays. It can cause wheezing in people with asthma, vocal cord dysfunction or hyperosmia, a heightened sense of smell.
Other people at higher risk include those with lung or respiratory diseases, such as lung cancer or cryptogenic organized pneumonia.
Use wet wipes instead of sprays, which substantially reduce inhalation exposure. Open windows and doors and wear gloves or wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
What if someone in my home has COVID?
In that case, the benefits of sanitizing outweigh the cons. Frequently clean high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, handles, light switches, countertops, toilets, faucets, and sinks with a COVID-fighting disinfectant.
Still, the person with COVID should isolate himself as much as possible from the rest of the house. Everyone should wear a mask and wash their hands frequently.
