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Review
. 2021 Jul;28(26):34211-34228.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-14429-w. Epub 2021 May 15.

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

Kuldeep Dhama  1 , Shailesh Kumar Patel  2 , Rakesh Kumar  3 , Rupali Masand  3 , Jigyasa Rana  4 , Mohd Iqbal Yatoo  5 , Ruchi Tiwari  6 , Khan Sharun  7 , Ranjan K Mohapatra  8 , Senthilkumar Natesan  9 , Manish Dhawan  10   11 , Tauseef Ahmad  12   13 , Talha Bin Emran  14 , Yashpal Singh Malik  15 , Harapan Harapan  16   17   18
Affiliations
Review

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

Kuldeep Dhama et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Disinfectants and sanitizers are essential preventive agents against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, the pandemic crisis was marred by undue hype, which led to the indiscriminate use of disinfectants and sanitizers. Despite demonstrating a beneficial role in the control and prevention of COVID-19, there are crucial concerns regarding the large-scale use of disinfectants and sanitizers, including the side effects on human and animal health along with harmful impacts exerted on the environment and ecological balance. This article discusses the roles of disinfectants and sanitizers in the control and prevention of the current pandemic and highlights updated disinfection techniques against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This article provides evidence of the deleterious effects of disinfectants and sanitizers exerted on humans, animals, and the environment as well as suggests mitigation strategies to reduce these effects. Additionally, potential technologies and approaches for the reduction of these effects and the development of safe, affordable, and effective disinfectants are discussed, particularly, eco-friendly technologies using nanotechnology and nanomedicine.

Keywords: COVID-19; Disinfectants; Environment; Hazard; Prevention; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Disinfectants and their antiviral mechanisms (such as targeting lipid layer and spike proteins) and the need of disinfection during COVID-19 pandemic. The figure was created with BioRender.com
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Deleterious effects of disinfectants and sanitizers in human and environment during COVID-19. The figure was created with BioRender.com
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mitigation strategies to reduce deleterious consequences of disinfectants in human and environment during COVID-19 pandemic. The figure was created with BioRender.com
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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