Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs) in Textiles and Laundry Wastewater: Occurrence and Environmental Risk Assessment

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Ecotoxicology
• Textile Science

Background:

• Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are common antimicrobial additives in textiles.
• Data on QAC levels in textiles and their environmental impact from laundry wastewater are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify QACs in textile products.
• To assess QAC migration during laundry.
• To evaluate the ecological risk of QACs in wastewater.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 119 textile products for traditional and emerging QACs using high-resolution mass spectrometry.
• Laboratory-controlled washing experiments to determine QAC migration rates.
• Ecotoxicity testing using *Daphnia magna* and environmental risk assessment.

Main Results:

• Textiles contained high concentrations of both traditional (up to 145,000 ng/g) and emerging QACs (up to 349,000 ng/g).
• Over 76% of textiles showed >50% QAC migration after washing.
• Laundry wastewater contained significant QAC levels (22.4–42.1 ng/mL), causing dose-dependent toxicity to *Daphnia magna*.
• Environmental risk assessment indicated high QAC risk in 7% of regions post-WWTP treatment, rising to 41% with direct discharge.

Conclusions:

• High QAC migration rates suggest textiles may not offer long-term antimicrobial benefits.
• Widespread QAC use in textiles contributes to continuous environmental exposure.
• The essential use of QACs in nondisposable textiles warrants re-evaluation due to ecological concerns.