Demand in the US market for disinfectant and antimicrobial chemicals is forecast to grow 6% annually to US$1.6 billion in 2017 as more moderate price growth and shifts toward lower cost disinfectants are offset by strong volume demand growth. And, reveals the ReportsnReports.com research, public awareness of hygiene issues in both healthcare and food will be key demand drivers.
‘In institutional and consumer applications, anxieties about disease – foodborne, healthcare-associated infection, and antibiotic-resistant – will lead to healthy gains amid increasing regulatory scrutiny and intensifying cleaning regimens.
‘Rising public concern about microbial pathogens will also support growth in some industrial markets as disinfectant and antimicrobial additives are incorporated in a broader array of products,’ states ReportsnReports.com.
Changing routines to favour quaternary ammonium compounds
Several factors will result in generally more thorough disinfection routines among food and beverage processors, hospitals and other health care providers, restaurants, and hotels.
They include heightened public concerns about foodborne illnesses such as E. coli and salmonella; increased regulatory scrutiny due to the (US) Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011; and growing liability concerns will contribute to increased disinfectant demand in the food and beverage processing and restaurant and lodging markets.
‘In the medical and healthcare market, growing awareness of healthcare-associated infections such as C. difficile, and antibiotic resistant pathogens such as MRSA, compounded by the mass media’s enthusiastic coverage of deadly out breaks, has resulted in changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rules.
‘These changes, along with pressure from insurers, will continue to drive increasing disinfectant and antimicrobial consumption in the healthcare market. Quaternary ammonium compounds are projected to grow the fastest in these applications, owing to their efficacy, ease of use, and low toxicity,’ says ReportsnReports.com.