Quaternary ammonium compounds, or quats are about 1/4 as effective than HOCl,
and aren’t safe around children, pets, and people with medical issues.

QUAT USAGE: Spray, wipe, rinse, wipe.
HOCl USAGE:  Spray

Quats are widely used in restaurants for cleaning pots and pans, but are not safe around food. HOCl is safe around food and can be used to disinfect the restaurant.
It’s also much safer in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Quats are found in common household products such as disinfectant sprays, disinfectant wipes, anti-bacterial soaps, and toilet cleaners.

CHECK YOUR LABELS. You will probably see “ammonium” on the ingredient list, and a paragraph on risks. It’s a quat. Note the advice to call poison control. Why take the risk? 
USE HOCl – hypochlorous acid. It’s the only safe sanitizer/disinfectant.
NOTE:  Many products don’t have the strength to be categorized as a “disinfectant”.  HOCl can be both.

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“Why you need to move away from Quat-based biocides” – from Endurocide.com

Quats, also called QACs, is the shortened term for Quaternary Ammonium Compounds. Quats are a commonly used and popular type of biocide found in many disinfectant products. With the implementation of the European iocidal Products Register (BPR) in 2012, all biocides became more controlled; as part of this, Quats were given a Maximum Residue Level (MRL). A biocide’s MRL is the level of biocidal residue that is allowed to remain on food products before it is considered to be of concern to the health of humans, animals and the environment. Quats stick to surfaces and substrates to leave a residue. Hence, specifically in areas that handle food, the use of disinfectants that contain Quats is restricted.”

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National Institute of Health/National Library of Medicine study: 

Using two proposed benchmark standards for surface microbial levels in hospitals, electrolysed water resulted in a higher ‘pass rate’ than the in-use quaternary ammonium disinfectant (80-86% vs 15-21%, P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Electrolysed water exerts a more effective bacterial kill than the in-use quaternary ammonium disinfectant, which suggests that it may be useful as a surface sanitizer in environments such as care homes.

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Quats are not safe. From Womensvoices.org:

1. Quats are lung irritants and can contribute to asthma and other breathing problems. They irritate skin too – and can lead to rashes.

2. There is emerging science that is showing exposure to quats is harming sperm quality, reducing fertility and resulting in birth defects in mice. 

3. Disinfectant wipes with quats also recommend against using them on any food-contact surfaces (like cutting boards, plates or cutlery, high chair trays etc.) because these potent chemicals can contaminate the food they come into contact with, even well after cleaning is done.

4. Avoiding quats in public can be a lot harder – but you can share this information or our fact sheet on quats to help get quats out of schools (like Janna Said did in her children’s school), gyms and other public places.

5. The other thing is that quats will linger on a surface long after you have cleaned with them. This means that your exposure (and your kids’ exposure, and your pet’s exposure) continues every time you touch that countertop. In the mice experiments I mentioned above, it took months of re-sanitizing the animal cages that had originally been cleaned with quats until the mice were reproducing normally again. Yikes.  Again there is a reason that disinfectant wipes with quats also recommend against using them on any food-contact surfaces (like cutting boards, plates or cutlery, high chair trays etc.) because these potent chemicals can contaminate the food they come into contact with, even well after cleaning is done.

WSJ 12-2-20

What Are the Health Risks of Disinfectants?
Disinfecting cleaners used against Covid-19 generally are safe, doctors and medical researchers say,
but here’s what you need to know about potential health hazards.

What n active ingredients in disinfectants that people need to be aware of when it comes to potential health hazards?

On product labels, look for bleach or for quaternary ammonium compounds, known as quats. Both bleach and quats are considered
safe if used as directed. But if inhaled, they may cause irritation in some people, at times resulting in sneezing, coughing or
shortness of breath. In some cases, users may develop a sensitivity to the chemicals over time, says Karin Pacheco an allergist at
National Jewish Health in Denver. People who are constantly spraying disinfectants are most at risk.
“If you inhale irritants in a high enough concentration, you can cause asthma or upper respiratory problems,” she says.

Should you take extra precautions when using sanitizing sprays around children?

Children are often at higher risk when disinfectants are used. For one, they are more likely to put their hands
in their mouths after touching a surface, resulting in potential irritation. Their lower weight means even small
amounts of exposure through inhalation has potential for side effects. “It’s for the little kids that we are little
bit concerned,” says Dingsheng Li, an environmental health professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He recommends wiping
off quat-based products after following disinfecting directions because they tend to linger on surfaces.

Are there other drawbacks to prolonged disinfectant use?

There is evidence that antimicrobial resistance to quats could develop, making these chemicals less effective on many
types of bacteria over time, says Bill Wuest, associate professor of chemistry at Emory University, who specializes in developing
antimicrobial compounds. For individuals, it is important to find a balance as the pandemic continues. “A lot of people are going
on overkill and trying to disinfect everything,” he says.

WSJ 12-9-20

To Battle Covid, Airlines Bet on Disinfectants That Come With Questions
U.S. carriers are using higher amounts of some chemicals to show their planes are safe—the unknown
long-term effects of these antiviral sprays concern some scientists

 Make no mistake—killing the virus that has killed a million people world-wide is the
priority. But scientists say long-term effects of one chemical used by several airlines,
including the three biggest U.S. carriers, aren’t well known, and multiple applications of it
each day hasn’t been studied. The chemical is a quaternary ammonium compound. QACs,
or quats, have been linked to lung damage and asthma.

“It’s definitely a concern, and one that we’re watching with a little bit of alarm,” says
Sarah Evans, assistant professor of environmental medicine and public health at Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
The potential risk comes mainly from the possibility of inhaling QACs. Airlines say cabins
are dry and odor-free before pilots, flight attendants and passengers board. But there’s
little if any testing to ensure chemicals aren’t lingering in the air or on surfaces, they say.

“We are on a dangerous path here,” Dr. Khubchandani says.

Calla 1452, made with QACs, is rated in the EPA’s second-highest hazardous category for
health and can severely irritate and damage skin and eyes, according to the safety data
sheet issued by the product’s manufacturer, Zip-Chem Products. (Many householdcleaning
products earn the EPA’s fourth-highest rating.) The chemical dries quickly, but
gloves and safety glasses are recommended for routine use and people should avoid
breathing vapors, the product information says.

QACs are found in household cleaning products, but not in the quantities sprayed in
airplanes. Mount Sinai’s Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health issued a paper in 2015
citing studies linking asthma to use of cleaning products containing QACs.