A Survey of Antimicrobial Biocides in Direct-to-Consumer Products in Australia

Antimicrobial biocides such as disinfectants and preservatives are extremely widely used to control microbial growth, but are not regulated like antibiotics. Unfortunately, there is increasing evidence that many biocides can compromise antibiotic efficacy. The aim of this survey was to determine which biocides are most commonly found in products available to the public in Australia. Over 350 non-redundant products were surveyed and the results collated and presented by product category and biocide class. This data is a startpoint to understand overall biocide usage in Australia. Results and survey background are provided in the pdf report, and the full data on products surveyed and biocides present is available as a spreadsheet.