Increased Use of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic and Beyond: Consideration of Environmental Implications

Priya I Hora; Sarah G Pati; Patrick J McNamara; William A Arnold

doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00437

Increased Use of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic and Beyond: Consideration of Environmental Implications

Environ Sci Technol Lett. 2020 Jun 26;7(9):622-631. doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00437. eCollection 2020 Sep 8.

Authors

Priya I Hora¹, Sarah G Pati², Patrick J McNamara³, William A Arnold¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 500 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.
² Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
³ Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Marquette University, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, United States.

PMID: 37566314
DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00437

Abstract

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are active ingredients in over 200 disinfectants currently recommended by the U.S. EPA for use to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus. The amounts of these compounds used in household, workplace, and industry settings has very likely increased, and usage will continue to be elevated given the scope of the pandemic. QACs have been previously detected in wastewater, surface waters, and sediments, and effects on antibiotic resistance have been explored. Thus, it is important to assess potential environmental and engineering impacts of elevated QAC usage, which may include disruption of wastewater treatment unit operations, proliferation of antibiotic resistance, formation of nitrosamine disinfection byproducts, and impacts on biota in surface waters. The threat caused by COVID-19 is clear, and a reasonable response is elevated use of QACs to mitigate spread of infection. Exploration of potential effects, environmental fate, and technologies to minimize environmental releases of QACs, however, is warranted.

Publication types

Review