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Questions And Answer

• Description

  Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a compound of the class of quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) used as a cationic surfactant in personal hygiene, cosmetic and skin disinfection products. BAC is a mixture of alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides [C6H5CH2N(CH3)2RCl], in which R = C12, C14, C16, C18 are the main compounds, and the antibacterial effects being given by the alkyl chain length and the quaternary ammonium groups.
  
  Benzalkonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium antiseptic and disinfectant with actions and uses similar to those of other cationic surfactants. It is also used as an antimicrobial preservative for pharmaceutical products. For most multidose aqueous nasal, ophthalmic and otic products, benzalkonium chloride is the preservative of choice. It has been used in eye drops as a preservative since the 1950’s and it is still the most common preservative used in ophthalmic solutions at a concentration of 0.01–0.02%. It is an effective bactericidal and fungicidal agent that helps to minimise the growth of organisms in multidose containers. ;

• Uses

  Benzalkonium chloride is a cationic detergent, like other quaternary ammonium compounds, and is used as an antiseptic agent in ophthalmic preparations, skin disinfectants, cosmetics, deodorants, mouthwashes, lozenges and solutions for contact lenses. It is also used in medications for relief of burns, scalds, cuts and local inflammation of the skin and mouth. It may also be used for infant teething and in wipes for usage for irritations around the anus. Further research may identify additional product or industrial usages of this chemical.;

• Pharmaceutical Applications

  benzalkonium chloride appears to be the main preservative in ophthalmic preparations on the EU market, approximately 74% of ophthalmic preparations contain benzalkonium chloride as a preservative. Benzalkonium chloride is further used as a preservative in more than 200 medicinal products for the nasal route of administration and about 10 preparations for inhalation use are authorised on EU markets based on the additional survey performed amongst a limited number of member states. Only a few medicinal products containing benzalkonium chloride are intended for other routes of administrations i.e. cutaneous, oral, oromucosal, rectal, vaginal and parenteral use.;

• ability of kill coronavirus

  Benzalkonium chloride is often used in non-alcohol-based hand sanitisers. It has some effectivity against bacteria and limited activity against viruses. It’s also slow to act, meaning that non-alcohol-based sanitisers are generally less effective than alcohol-based ones. The CDC states that the available evidence is that benzalkonium chloride is not as effective against coronavirus as alcohols. CDC does not have a recommended alternative to hand rub products with greater than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol as active ingredients.

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• Safety

  Repeated dose oral toxicity studies have shown that within 2 days of dosing benzalkonium chloride is lethal in mice and rats at concentrations of approximately 500 mg/kg/day (dietary administration) and above due to local effects in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, no organ-specific toxicity was observed in these two species at concentrations below those causing direct effects on the GI tract. Results of 90-day and chronic toxicity studies have only shown changes in body weight and other general responses.
  Substantial literature data indicate that benzalkonium chloride may induce ocular damage. In vivo studies have been mainly performed in rabbits and, therefore, careful extrapolation to humans is required due to the differences between these two species. A recent study of the toxicity of ophthalmological solutions containing 0.005% and 0.01% of benzalkonium chloride applied twice daily in rabbits and monkeys for up to 52 weeks did not show ophthalmological changes of irritation or corneal damage.
  In vitro studies have suggested that benzalkonium chloride (0.001–0.05%) may cause ciliary beat stasis as well as nasal lesions in rats when applied eight times daily.
  Available experimental data indicate that benzalkonium chloride is neither genotoxic nor carcinogenic nor a reproductive toxicant. ;

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