Prioritization of chemicals in personal care products based on persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) potential: An Indian perspective.

Numerous organic ingredients present in Personal care products (PCPs) are being detected in sewage which has a high potential to impact the environment. These compounds are called as Emerging contaminants (ECs) or Contaminants of emerging concern. However, the information on the source and occurrence of ECs present in PCPs is very minimal. Specifically, information on the persistence (P), bioaccumulation (B) and toxicity (T) is very scarce. The determination of PBT properties is a complex task given the magnitude of chemicals, thus it is necessary to have a tool to quickly screen and prioritize the most important compounds. Estimation Program Interface (EPI) Suite™ is one such tool authorized by United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) for screening purposes. In the present study, several organic compounds present in the PCPs viz. body lotion, sunscreens, moisturizers, hair dyes, and some hair care products were identified and their PBT property was estimated. The results from the study indicate that the order of increasing occurrence of PBT chemicals is sunscreens > moisturizers > body lotion > hair care products > hair dyes. The prioritized compounds were given rank 1 (maximum concern) to rank 4 (minimum concern). From the results, the compounds octocrylene in sunscreens and butylphenyl methylpropional in body lotions were prioritized as Rank 1.

A comprehensive review on antimicrobial face masks: an emerging weapon in fighting pandemics.

The world has witnessed several incidents of epidemics and pandemics since the beginning of human existence. The gruesome effects of microbial threats create considerable repercussions on the healthcare systems. The continually evolving nature of causative viruses due to mutation or re-assortment sometimes makes existing medicines and vaccines inactive. As a rapid response to such outbreaks, much emphasis has been placed on personal protective equipment (PPE), especially face mask, to prevent infectious diseases from airborne pathogens. Wearing face masks in public reduce disease transmission and creates a sense of community solidarity in collectively fighting the pandemic. However, excessive use of single-use polymer-based face masks can pose a significant challenge to the environment and is increasingly evident in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On the contrary, face masks with inherent antimicrobial properties can help in real-time deactivation of microorganisms enabling multiple-use and reduces secondary infections. Given the advantages, several efforts are made incorporating natural and synthetic antimicrobial agents (AMA) to produce face mask with enhanced safety, and the literature about such efforts are summarised. The review also discusses the literature concerning the current and future market potential and environmental impacts of face masks. Among the AMA tested, metal and metal-oxide based materials are more popular and relatively matured technology. However, the repeated use of such a face mask may pose a danger to the user and environment due to leaching/detachment of nanoparticles. So careful consideration is required to select AMA and their incorporation methods to reduce their leaching and environmental impacts. Also, systematic studies are required to establish short-term and long-term benefits.