Evaluation of the impact of different disinfectants on new coronavirus and human health

Rev Environ Health. 2022 May 5;38(3):451-460. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2022-0051. Print 2023 Sep 26.

Abstract

A new health threat was appeared in 2019 known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The new coronavirus distributed all over the world and caused millions of deaths. One way to incomplete the process of COVID-19 transfer from one person to another is using disinfectants. A narrative review study was done on manuscript published documents about the stability of the virus, different types of disinfectants and the effects of disinfectants on SARS-CoV2 and environment from 2005 to 2022 based on Searched databases included Google Scholar, Springer, PubMed, Web of Science and Science Direct (Scopus). All relevant studies published 2005 until 2022 gathered. According to the databases, 670 articles were retrieved. Thirty studies were screened after review and 30 full-text articles entered into the analysis process. Finally, 14 articles were selected in this study. New coronavirus could survive until 9 days in room temperature; the surviving time decreases if temperature increases. The virus can survive in various plastic, glass, and metal surfaces for hours to days. Disinfectants, such as alcohol, isopropanol, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and ethanol, can kill 70-90% viruses in up to 30 s but should be noted that these disinfectants are recognized by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as a potential carcinogen. According to the different reports, increased duration and level of disinfectant exposure can have negative impacts on human and animal health including upper and lower respiratory tract irritation, inflammation, edema, ulceration, and allergic reactions.

Keywords: COVID-19; disinfectants; ethanol; health; isopropanol; stability.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • COVID-19*
  • Disinfectants* / toxicity
  • Ethanol
  • Humans
  • RNA, Viral
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • United States

Substances

  • Disinfectants
  • RNA, Viral
  • Ethanol