Disinfectants toxicity

Disinfeetion. Chlorine, as gaseous chlorine or as the h5rpochlorite ion, is widely used as a disinfectant. However, its use in some cases can lead to the formation of toxic organic chlorides, and the discharge of excess chlorine can be harmful. Ozone as an alternative disinfectant leads to products that have a lower toxic potential. Treatment is enhanced by ultraviolet light. Indeed, disinfection can be achieved by ultravifflet light on its own. 

Disinfection. Ozone is a more effective broad-spectmm disinfectant than chlorine-based compounds (105). Ozone is very effective against bacteria because even concentrations as low as 0.01 ppm are toxic to bacteria. Whereas disinfection of bacteria by chlorine involves the diffusion of HOGl through the ceU membrane, disinfection by ozone occurs with the lysing (ie, mpture) of the ceU wall. The disinfection rate depends on the type of organism and is affected by ozone concentration, temperature (106), pH, turbidity, clumping of organisms, oxidizable substances, and the type of contactor employed (107). The presence of oxidizable substances in ordinary water can retard disinfection until the initial ozone demand is satisfied, at which point rapid disinfection is observed. 

There are two reasons why the concentration of quaternaries is beheved to remain at a low level in sewage treatment systems. First, quaternaries appear to bind anionic compounds and thus are effectively removed from wastewater by producing stable, lower toxicity compounds (205). Anionic compounds are present in sewer systems at significantly higher concentrations than are cations (202). Second, the nature of how most quaternaries are used ensures that their concentrations in wastewater treatment systems are always relatively low but steady. Consumer products such as fabric softeners, hair conditioners, and disinfectants contain only a small amount of quaternary compounds. This material is then diluted with large volumes of water during use. 

Chlorine. Chlorine is a weU known disinfectant for water and wastewater treatment, however, it can react with organics to form toxic chlorinated compounds such as the tribalomethanes bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, chloroform [67-66-3] and bromoform [75-25-2]. Chlorine dioxide [10049-04-4] may be used instead since it does not produce the troublesome chlorinated by-products as does chlorine. In addition, by-products formed by chlorine dioxide oxidation tend to be more readHy biodegradable than those of chlorine, however, chlorine dioxide is not suitable for waste streams containing cyanide. 

Potable Water Treatment. Treatment of drinking water accounts for about 24% of the total activated carbon used in Hquid-phase apphcations (74). Rivers, lakes, and groundwater from weUs, the most common drinking water sources, are often contaminated with bacteria, vimses, natural vegetation decay products, halogenated materials, and volatile organic compounds. Normal water disinfection and filtration treatment steps remove or destroy the bulk of these materials (75). However, treatment by activated carbon is an important additional step in many plants to remove toxic and other organic materials (76—78) for safety and palatability. 

Because of lower toxicity and high antimicrobial activity, the phenols having the greatest use in disinfections are o-phenylphenol (Dowicide 1) [90-43-7J, C 2H qO i9-benzyl-/)-chlorophenol (Santophen 1) [120-32-1J, C H CIO and -Z fZ-amylphenol [80-46-6] They possess similar general... 

Whereas tests (186) indicated that ampholytes were effective in skin cleansing for preoperative use, for wound cleansing, and as an antiseptic in the oral cavity (187), as well as other medical appHcations, the food and beverage industries have proved to be the principal employers of these compounds. Ampholytes are used as sanitizers and disinfectants, not as food preservatives. Low toxicity, absence of skin irritation, and noncorrosiveness, along with antimicrobial activity, has given ampholytes acceptance in dairies, meat plants, and the brewing and soft drink industries. These disinfectants have been manufactured and distributed in Europe and Japan, but not in the United States. 

One of the most widespread methods of water disinfection is it s chlorination. As chloration products ai e toxic, their content is to be controlled. Among them free chlorine and inorganic chloramines ai e predominant in water. Maximum contaminant limit for free chlorine is 0.3 - 0.5 mg/L, for chloramines - 0.8 - 1.2 mg/L. 

Unrestricted use of reclaimed wastewater for drinking water, however, requires careful examination. While practically a complete barrier to viruses, bacteria, and other toxic entities that must be kept out of a potable supply, RO membranes could pose serious problems should any defect develop in their separation mechanism. Given the purity and clarity of RO-treated wastewaters, however, it might be advantageous to use RO and then subject the product to well-established disinfection procedures. 

Phenol is a germicide and disinfectant, and was first used by Lister in 1867 as an antiseptic in medicine. More effective and less toxic antiseptics have since been discovered. 

The pH of the water is checked again and made slightly basic to reduce acid corrosion of the pipes. At this point, a disinfectant, usually chlorine, is added. In the United States, the chlorine level is required to be greater than 1 g of Cl2 per 1000 kg (1 ppm by mass) of water at the point of consumption. In water, chlorine forms hypochlorous acid, which is highly toxic to bacteria ... 

The complex outer layers beyond the peptidoglycan in the Gram-negative species, the outer membrane, protect the organism to a certain extent from the action of toxic chemicals (see Chapter 13). Thus, disinfectants are often effective only at concentrations higher than those affecting Gram-positive cells and these layers provide unique protection to the cells from the action of benzylpenicillin and lysozyme. 

As is apparent from the above information, there is no ideal disinfectant, antiseptic or preservative. All chemical agents have their limitations either in terms of their antimicrobial activity, resistance to organic matter, stability, incompatibility, irritancy, toxicity or corrosivity. To overcome the limitations of an individual agent, formulations consisting of combinations of agents are available. For example, ethanol has been combined with chlorhexidine and iodine to produce more active preparations. The combination of chlorhexidine and cetrimide is also considered to improve activity. QACs and phenols have been combined with glutaraldehyde so that the same effect can be achieved with lower, less irritant concentrations of glutaraldehyde. Some... 

Tests have been published for determining toxicity towards leucocytes. Evaluation on the infected chorioallantoic membrane of hens eggs was suggested as being a useful method of testing potential wound disinfectants. 

Since disinfectant itself might be toxic to the tissue culture or eggs, a toxicity test must also be carried out. Here, appropriate dilutions of disinfectant are mixed with inactivated horse serum and inoculated into tissue cells or eggs (as appropriate). These are examined daily for damage. 

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