Is Lysol spray safe to use during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about lysol disinfectant spray during pregnancy?

1. Benzalkonium chloride, the quaternary ammonium compound in many spray disinfectants including Lysol-type products, hasn't been tied to a reported increase in pregnancy risk, and breathing in cleaning-product fumes generally allows only limited absorption into the bloodstream. 1
2. A strong disinfectant smell isn't a reliable gauge of how much of a chemical actually reaches your baby, since odor strength and the amount your body actually absorbs are not the same thing. 1
3. A systematic review of quaternary ammonium compound studies found that the highest-quality animal research showed no adverse reproductive or developmental effects at the concentrations used in normal household disinfecting. 2
4. Separate animal research found these disinfectant compounds can concentrate in placental tissue and were linked to placental inflammation in a mouse model prone to neural tube defects at controlled lab doses; the same research notes human exposure to these compounds is now widespread, with residues detected in the blood of roughly 80% of people tested before the COVID-19 pandemic. 3
5. A study following mothers whose jobs exposed them to cleaning chemicals and disinfectants throughout pregnancy found no statistically significant increase in wheeze or asthma among their children by ages 4 to 6. 4

Is lysol disinfectant spray safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. The neural tube forms in the first few weeks, often before a positive test, which is also the window animal research on these disinfectant compounds has focused on. If you're newly pregnant or trying to conceive, ventilating well and not over-relying on spray disinfectants is a reasonable, low-effort precaution.
• Second trimester. The same ventilate-and-don't-overdo-it approach carries through. Occasional spraying for typical household cleaning, with a window open or fan running, is the routine case here.
• Third trimester. If your job has you disinfecting surfaces daily, such as in a clinic, restaurant kitchen, gym, or daycare, this is a good point to loop your provider in about workplace exposure and whether any adjustment makes sense heading into the final stretch.