Why are commonly used disinfectants bad?
The most widely used disinfectants, whether used around our horses, other animals or domestically have several limitations in both efficacy and safety
The most common of these fall within the QUAT family of products, which stands for ‘Quaternary Ammonium compounds’.
QUATS have been proven to ‘bio-accumulate’ in the environment and leave behind toxic residues which can lead to microbial resistance and ingestion risk to our horses.
The warnings are in plain sight displayed on the packaging and the safety data sheet of such products.
We are not required to display such warning signs that come in the form of wilted trees and upside down fish…
What to look out for?
The most commonly found disinfectant throughout the Equine industry has the following warning criteria
P.B.T = Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxicity
S.T.O.T = Specific Target Organ Toxicity
Acute Toxic 4 (Oral) H302
Acute Toxic 2 (Inhalation) H330
Carcinogenic 2, H351
Aquatic Acute / Chronic – harmful to aquatic life with long term effect
CYCLOPENTASILOXANE – on the REACH list of SUBSTANCE of VERY HIGH CONCERN!