Physical and Chemical Preventive Countermeasures of Disinfectants Used during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Implications on Toxicity and Resistance Development

ABSTRACT

The novel human coronavirus (CoV) 2019 known as COVID-19, similar to previous CoVs infections outbreaks has posed a serious and an unprecedented challenge on the entire health care system in the world, that needs aggressive preventive and easily accessible measures, policies for effective regular disinfection. Rampant use of disinfectants may pose toxicity to human, environmental hazards and, in some cases, decrease effectiveness and development of resistance due to other ingredients in the disinfectant agents. This review comprehensively highlights the effects of physical and chemical countermeasures and their related potential toxicity on human and environment. The study reveals that physical inactivation especially the effects of temperature, humidity and light mostly ultraviolet-C (UV-C), have significantly demonstrated proven efficacy in reducing the spread of CoV infections. Similarly, chemical countermeasures especially alcoholand iodine-based disinfecting agents have shown potentials inhibition against the survival of the viruses and other pathogenic micro-organisms on surfaces. Large number of disinfectants were reported to contain corrosive chemicals that are toxic to humans especially children and destroy the environment due to unhealthy accumulation and pollution, and other additional ingredients having potentials to develop resistance and decrease effectiveness of the disinfectants. This review sumarizes the imporatnce of physical and chemical preventive countermeasures currently in use against CoV infections for further modifications and translational study to design improved disinfecting agents.