What is the study about? 

Benzalkonium chlorides (BACs) are used in many personal products. You may be exposed to BACs from hospitals, restaurants, or from home use. This study will improve our understanding of how much BACs get into the body.

What are BACs?

Some examples of BACs include:

• Pharmaceutical products such as eye, ear and nasal drops or sprays, as a preservative.
• Personal care products such as hand sanitizers, wet wipes, shampoos, soaps, deodorants and cosmetics.
• Skin antiseptics and wound wash sprays, such as Bactine.
• Throat lozenges and mouthwashes, as a biocide
• Spermicidal creams.
• Cleaners for floor and hard surfaces as a disinfectant, such as Lysol and Dettol antibacterial spray and wipes.
• Algaecides for clearing of algae, moss, lichens from paths, roof tiles, swimming pools, masonry, etc.

What will you have to do?

In this study, you will fill out a questionnaire about your job and use products that might contain BACs. We will collect a blood, urine, and stool sample to measure the levels of BACs and their metabolites. We will measure blood or urine lipids and bile acids, molecules that reflect kidney function, and differences in specific genes. We will sequence your gut microbiome (bacteria in the stool sample) to see what species are present. We will see whether these measurements are associated with BAC levels.

You may want to join the study if you are:

• Between the ages of 18-49
• Currently in good health
• A healthy weight for your height (BMI 18 to 27 kg/m²)
• Willing to provide a blood, urine, and stool sample

You will not be able to join the study if you are:

• Pregnant or breast-feeding
• Diagnosed with any serious medical conditions. These include heart, liver, gastrointestinal, kidney, or autoimmune disease, diabetes, or high cholesterol or lipid levels.
• Taking medications or supplements between the last two weeks that might affect your cholesterol or lipid levels

Participants will be compensated with a $50 Tango gift card which can be used to purchase gift card(s) from a variety of vendors online.

If you are interested in joining the study, please fill in the survey below to determine your eligibility. If you are eligible, you will be redirected to a consent form to sign and we will collect some preliminary information about you.

CLICK HERE FOR SURVEY

For any questions, feel free to contact us at bacstudy@uw.edu