Quaternary ammonium compounds — often called“quats”— are widely used disinfectants found in household cleaners, wipes, sanitizers, and many institutional cleaning products. While effective at killing microbes on surfaces, growing scientific evidence suggests that repeated exposure may disrupt the body’s own microbial ecosystems and delicate cellular membranes.
Because these chemicals are now so common in homes, schools, hospitals, and food environments, it can be difficult to know where exposure is coming from — or what practical steps can reduce it.
We created thisConsumer Guide to Quatsto help you understand where these chemicals are used, why they may matter for gut and immune health, and simple steps you can take to reduce everyday exposure.
In a recent interview, Chris Wark spoke with Martha Carlin—author of Connected: Love Loss and the Unseen Forces Behind Chronic Disease, microbiome researcher, and founder of BiotiQuest—about her 24-year journey investigating the root causes of neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.
At the end of August, I flew from Kentucky to Australia for three weeks. By the time I arrived in Canberra, I had crossed the International Date Line, lost an entire day, and completely flipped my normal schedule. I did what I could to prepare. I fasted before the flight, took my Simple Slumber and another herbal sleep supplement, and managed to get some sleep on the overnight flight. Even so, I arrived expecting my body to have absolutely no idea what time it was. What surprised me was how quickly it began to figure it out.
Behind closed eyes, the brain is carrying out a carefully coordinated night shift. And research into the microbiome raises an intriguing question: how might the activity in our gut influence the sleep that gives this work its opportunity?