Priority Setting for Management of Hazardous Biocides in Korea Using Chemical Ranking and Scoring Method

Abstract

Biocides are non-agricultural chemical agents for the prevention of unhygienic pests. The worldwide demand for biocidal products has been rapidly increasing. Meanwhile, biocides have been causing negative health effects for decades, resulting in public health scares. Therefore, governments around the world have tried to strictly control biocides, and it is necessary to prioritize the health risks of biocides for efficient management. Chemical ranking and scoring (CRS) methods have been developed for the effective management of chemicals. However, existing methods do not use suitable variables to evaluate biocides, thus possibly underestimating or overestimating the actual health risks. We developed a new CRS method that reflects the exposure and toxicity characteristics of biocides. Eleven indicators were chosen as appropriate for prioritizing biocides, and scoring based on the globally harmonized system of classification and labeling of chemicals (GHS) improved the efficiency of the method. Correlations between individual indicators in this study were low (−0.151–0.325), indicating that each indicator was independent and well-chosen for prioritizing biocides. The effect of each indicator on the total score showed that carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and reproductive toxicity (CMR) chemicals ranked high with r = 0.558. This result demonstrated that the most dangerous toxicants should play a more decisive role in the top ranking than the others. We expect that our method can be efficiently used to screen regulated biocides by prioritizing their health hazards, thus leading to better policy decision making about biocide use.

Investigation on Combined Inhalation Exposure Scenarios to Biocidal Mixtures: Biocidal and Household Chemical Products in South Korea

“…Our study covered a wider range of products, i.e., household chemical products, and data in more recent years were collected from reliable sources by using data from the Korea Ministry of Environment. If the information from Choi et al’s study [ 31 ] and our study can be further considered together, it will be more feasible to identify mixtures that are urgently needed for mixture toxicity tests.…”

“…In our study, we further comprised a wide range of products containing biocidal ingredients to consider receptor-basis assessment. In South Korea, one recent study used an EcoLife database like our approach and provided a priority list for biocidal chemicals [ 31 ]. Choi et al’s work was of great significance in applying chemical ranking and scoring concept with data collection for commercially available biocidal products.…”

Health risks of pest control and disinfection workers after the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea

“…The biocidal chemicals that these workers use can cause respiratory disorders and skin irritation in the human body. Hydrogen peroxide and sodium chlorite, which are commonly used as disinfectants, are classified as specific target organ toxicants repeated exposure (STOTRE) 3 (respiratory sensitization) and acute inhalation toxicity 2 under the globally harmonized system (GHS) toxicity classification ( GHS, 2013 ), and cause symptoms such as shortness of breath and bronchitis in humans when inhaled ( Choi et al., 2020 ; Rim, 2021 ; US EPA, 2020 ). Moreover, these health effects are also observed in studies conducted on farmers.…”

Biologia Futura: use of biocides during COVID-19-global reshuffling of the microbiota

“…The take home lesson for us from these experiences is that one should evaluate whether certain localities have undergone repeated exposure of biocides, due to which radical changes in the genomes of pathogens and the microbiome (terrestrial and aquatic) have been encountered. An important pre-requisite to understanding the effect of industrially manufactured biocides in the environment is to construct a database of production quanta, consumption pattern and their diverse uses (Roman et al 2012 ; Choi et al 2020 ). Since attempts made in this direction are only a few, a consolidated strategy for use of biocides and assessments of exposure to them has become necessary.…”