Common cleaners used in homes, hotels and hospitals cause birth defects in fetuses, according to a new study of mice.

In some cases just being in the same room with the chemicals was enough to increase birth defects in the mice. The scientists involved say they can’t draw any conclusions for exposed humans but “animal studies are the gold standard for predicting human health effects,” said Terry Hrubec, professor and researcher at Virginia Tech University and lead author of the study published today in the journal Birth Defects Research.

People are exposed “every day to these chemicals,” she added.

The chemicals, called quaternary ammonium compounds, or “quats”, are often found in cleaning products and disinfectants used in people’s homes as well as at hotels and hospitals because they’re efficient at cleaning bacteria and viruses.  

Quats are also found in some laundry detergents, treatments for swimming pools, food preservatives in packed produce, and personal care products such as shampoos and conditioners. 

Industry representatives have pushed back, saying all cleaning products get federal approval before hitting the shelves.

Hrubec and colleagues found that male and female mice exposed to two types of common quats—alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC) and didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC)—had pups with much higher rates of birth defects than unexposed mice.

The defects “persisted for two generations after cessation of exposure,” the authors wrote.