Outdoor disinfectant sprays for the prevention of COVID-19: Are they safe for the environment?

Abstract

Due to the wide range of viability on inanimate surfaces and fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2, hydrogen peroxide (0.5%, HP) and hypochlorite-based (0.1%, HC) disinfectants (common biocides) are proposed by World Health Organization to mitigate the spread of this virus in healthcare settings. They can be adopted and applied to outdoor environments. However, many studies have shown that these two disinfectants are toxic to fishes and aquatic non-target organisms (primary producers and macroinvertebrates). The global market of these disinfectants will increase in coming years due to COVID-19. Therefore, it is urgent to highlight the toxicities of these disinfectants. The main findings of this article allow the community to develop a new strategy to protect the environment against the hazardous effects of disinfectants. Therefore, we use the “toxicity calculated ratio (TC ratio)” that refers to the fold increase or decrease in the toxicities reported in the literature (NOEC, LOEC, LC50 and EC50) relative to the WHO-recommended dose of HP and HC. The calculated TC ratios are valuable for policy makers to formulate the regulations to prevent disinfectant exposure in the environment. Our results were collected via PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) guidelines and showed that the TC ratios are from the single digits to several thousand-fold lower than the HP and HC recommended dose, which means these disinfectants are potentially dangerous to non-target organisms. The results also showed that HP and HC are toxic to the growth and reproduction of non-target organisms. Therefore, we recommend policymakers formulate protocols for critical assessment and monitoring of the environment—especially on non-target organisms in water bodies located in and around disinfectant-exposed areas to safeguard the environment in the future.

COVID-19 and environmental concerns: A rapid review

“…Doremalen et al [ 139 ] comparatively analyze SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1 aerosol and surface stability, finding that SARS-CoV-2 transmission is accurate because the virus stays on the surfaces through the days of infection. Through the analysis of 22 studies, Kampf et al [ 137 ] reveal that Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus can persist for up to 9 days on inanimate surfaces, but can be deactivated by surface disinfection [ 140 , 141 ].…”

“…Hence, it can be taken into consideration that symptomatic (and asymptomatic) affected people could spread the viruses through their excreta, which calls for a more effective waste-water and sewage-sludge treatment, and its subsequent spreading into the environment [ 144 , 145 ]. One of the main sources of human exposure to pollutants is through drinking water [ 140 ]. This directs the attention to some major contaminants in drinking water known to be immune-toxic and drinking water routes, which could possibly compromise the effective immune response of humans [ 146 , 147 ].…”

The role of disinfectants and sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic: advantages and deleterious effects on humans and the environment

“…Though the disinfection of wastewater originating from healthcare facilities, offices, public places, and other organizations, such as hotels and processing units, is essential for minimization of the likelihood of spreading infection and deleterious effects, application of these disinfectants can cause harm to both living organisms and the environment. Other disinfection practices, such as the washing of external floors, streets, and markets, also contribute to the discharge of disinfectants into sewage, rivers, and lakes (Subpiramaniyam 2021 ). Sodium hypochlorite is commonly used for the disinfection of hospital wastewater to prevent the spread of nosocomial infectious diseases.…”

“…Therefore, such chemicals may gain entry into the sewage and cause pollution of drinking water resources (China Ministry of Ecology and Environment 2020 ). Furthermore, as both direct and indirect sewage effluents are discharged into rivers and lakes, aquatic ecosystems are at a risk of contamination with chemical disinfectants (Sedlak 2011 ; Subpiramaniyam 2021 ). Chlorine disinfectants threaten aquatic wildlife and plants as the agents catalyze the oxidation of their proteins and destruction of their cell walls (Sedlak 2011 ).…”

Disinfectant Spraying System with Quadcopter Type Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology as an Effort to Break the Chain of the COVID-19 Virus

“…The virus is causing concern through the level of spread and severity which resulted in an ongoing pandemic worldwide [5]. The dire situation has triggered the practice of preventive action which includes the use of various disinfectants to clean the environment to reduce the spread of infection [6].…”