How Hand Sanitizer’s Half-life is Affecting the Local Watershed and Causing Ecological Damage
The recent pandemic has resulted in many people using more hand sanitizer and cleaning products that contain disinfecting agents.
In fact, the amount of disinfecting chemicals currently being used is unprecedented. Chemical runoff from these substances is spreading into the ecosystem where it is impacting the local watershed and causing ecological damage. Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Recommended To fight COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, ones formulated from ethanol, hydrogen peroxides, and isopropyl alcohols.
"If disinfecting substances made from these chemicals are misused, then they may have a toxic and hazardous environmental impact." - David Casey
Chemical Composition of Hand Sanitizers Ethanol or isopropyl alcohol are the active substances included in hand sanitizers that have an alcohol base. To be considered an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, the product must have a 60% to 95% concentration of ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.
Environmental Impact of Ethanol Ethanol is widely used in personal residences and numerous industries. While researchers are still debating how impactful the substance is, studies have determined that aquatic organisms may suffer negative impacts when ethanol is spilled into their waterways. The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission assessed data and found that aquatic invertebrates like the fathead minnow, rainbow trout, and daphnia species experienced serious and constant exposure when the ethanol levels measure 564 mg/1 and 63 mg/1, respectively. A study published by Nature reported that ethanol reduced the locomotor action of zebrafish larvae. The substance also increased the HPA axis hormones and impacted the larvae’s neurotransmitters. The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission determined that terrestrial animals were less likely to experience ethanol exposure following chemical spills. Environmental Impact of Isopropyl Alcohol If a large amount of isopropyl alcohol is spilled into the ground, then it may pollute the area’s groundwater. Photo-chemicals in the atmosphere can oxidize isopropanol. This makes the substance less damaging when it’s airborne. Along with this, isopropyl is unable to bioaccumulate because of fast biodegradability. However, when a large amount of the substance winds up in waterways, the chemical can cause environmental damage because isopropyl is able to remove oxygen from a waterbody. If this happens, then it will negatively impact the aquatic living system.
About the Impact of Improper Waste Flow Research into the impact of improper waste flow on plants caused by disinfectants used to battle COVID found that bleach and hand sanitizer had a negative impact on plants. The research group experimented using several replicated waste flows to see how they would impact the growth of everyday plants. For the study, each research member bought five of the same plants. They also purchased bleach and hand sanitizer that contained 60% to 80% alcohol. The researchers tested a 10% bleach solution, a 50% bleach solution, a 10% hand sanitizer solution and a 50% hand sanitizer solution. They also used a control group with regular water. The participants used similar materials. They also used the same brand of bleach. Following the test period, the research participants found that there was a notable difference before and after watering the plants with the different solutions. The team determined that the 50% bleach solution and the 50% hand sanitizer solution impacted the plants more than the 10% solutions. The plants that were in the water control group did not experience any discernible change.
The Benefits of a Healthy Watershed It’s important to consider how hand sanitizer’s half-life impacts a local watershed and causes ecological damage because a healthy one provides. While it’s common to think that antibacterial soap is better, the FDA asked the makers of the product to prove that it is more effective than regular soap and water. The antibacterial makers were unable to do so. In fact, the FDA reported that the studies brought forth the prospect that triclosan, a chemical in antibacterial soap, makes bacteria resistant to antibiotics. When triclosan is washed down residential and business drains, it is likely to reach local waterways. Currently, wastewater treatment plants do not have the equipment to remove the chemical.
According to the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) an estimated 90% of the surface water that researchers tested from the Great Lakes contains triclosan. CELA marks the chemical as one that people should avoid because it comes with a high risk of contaminating aquatic environments. Also, once it reaches natural environments, it can have a major impact. The chemical reacts to sunlight and develops dioxins, which are toxic in a variety of ways. Triclosan is extremely toxic to algae. To keep the aquatic food chain abundant and healthy, it needs access to safe algae. The chemical may also impact the reproductive abilities and development of certain species of fish. This includes rainbow trout.
People continue to purchase antimicrobial products because they believe them to be healthier and better at eliminating germs. Statistics show that people spend an estimated $1 billion a year in the United States on cleaning products that contain triclosan. This means that the chemical is being used at a high rate.
Time for Change For the health of humans and the environment, people should take steps against the spread of COVID-19 by washing their hands with regular soap instead of hand sanitizer as often as they can.
At Magical Chemicals, we are working to solve these problems. To work with us visit our contact page.
