Blitz on hygiene causes big rise in antibacterial chemicals
has led to a big jump in demand for disinfectants and antimicrobial
chemicals in the US.
Demand for such chemicals is set to rise 5 per cent annually to reach a market value of $930 million by 2009, according the market information provider Freedonia.
All of this is being driven by the rising awareness and concerns for foodborne pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella, which can often be spread through poor hygiene.
The report highlights how the demand for such chemicals will be boosted in the consumer segment by the preference for hand cleansers with anti-microbial or disinfectant actives, as well as household products.
However, the report does also draw attention to the fact that concern over the fact that the overuse of such chemicals could eventually encourage the development of resistant strains of bacteria. This in turn could put a cap on the potential for future demand.
Phenolic compounds, iodophors, nitrogen compounds and organometallics will remain the largest categories, accounting for three-quarters of demand by 2009. Of these categories, Freedonia says that phenolic compounds will be the largest single type, partly driven by the popularity of tricoslan and triclocarbon soaps and cleaners that are often used for personal care products.
The news comes just weeks after survey results, published by The American Society of Microbiology, revealed that one quarter of men they surveyed did not wash their hands after using the bathroom - a figure that suggests there is plenty of room for improvement.
What was interesting about the survey was the percentage of people of both sexes claiming to wash their hands after using the restroom and those that actually did so. Some 91 per cent of respondents claimed to wash their hands, whereas just 83 per cent did so. The figure was especially skewed for the male claims.
The results highlight the fact that, although successive campaigns by both personal care companies and hygiene bodies highlighting the importance of washing hands have obviously got the message, putting it into practice is not always the case.
