Dynamic COVID Zero Strategy triggered a significant increase of chlorine-based disinfectant consumption in Beijing

Highlights

● CBD consumption used during the Dynamic COVID Zero Strategy was quantified.

● An ALICE model to quantify weekly CBD consumption was proposed.

● The total CBD consumption could be reduced by 1.2% with a stricter strategy.

● A stricter and precise control strategy could reduce 16.9% and 37.7% CBD consumption within the close-off and lockdown area.

Abstract

Chlorine-based disinfectants (CBDs) have been widely used to prevent and control the spread of the COVID-19, which may lead to the formation of carcinogenic hazards. In China, strict disinfection strategies by local governments/communities or volunteering by residents have been implemented to meet the Dynamic COVID Zero (DCZ) Strategy. However, the amount of CBDs used has not been estimated. The author proposed an urban-scale disinfectant consumption estimation (ALICE) model to quantify weekly CBD consumption. The results show that the CBD consumption for the urban region of Beijing during the DCZ strategy was 3704.0 t (0.43 kg/(cap∙yr)), equivalent to a monthly increase of 15 g/cap (70.5%) in CBD consumption compared with that in pre-pandemic. According to the scenario analysis, a stricter strategy with a shorter response time toward new cases will decrease the total CBD consumption by 1.2% compared with the baseline estimation. A more precise prevention strategy with a smaller delineation of risk area and a less stringent strategy with a longer response time will lower the total CBD consumption by 0.42% and 0.35%, respectively. Specifically, the more precise prevention strategy will reduce CBD consumption of close off and lockdown area (COLD area) by 16.9%, and the stricter strategy will reduce this consumption by 37.7%. This study highlights the impact of pandemic prevention and control strategies on chlorine-based disinfectant consumption and some implications for future environmental pollution and risk assessments.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

COVID-19 / Dynamic COVID Zero Strategy / Disinfectants consumption / Bottom-up approach / Scenario analysis

References

[1] Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (2020). COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Guidelines for Office Place. Beijing: Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (in Chinese)

[2] Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (2022). COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Guidelines for Personnel in High, Medium and Low Risk Areas. Beijing: Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (in Chinese)

[3] Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau (2022). COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Guidelines for Commodity Trading Markets. Beijing: Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (in Chinese)

[4] BeijingMunicipal Health Commission (2021). 2020–2035 Special Plan for Medical and Health Facilities. Beijing. Beijing Municipal Health Commission (in Chinese)

[5] Bian Q J T M, Medicine M (2020). A comparison of epidemic prevention of COVID-19 between China and the US. Traditional Medicine and Modern Medicine, 3(1): 11−26

[6] Chen H, Shi L, Zhang Y, Wang X, Jiao J, Yang M, Sun G. (2021). Comparison of public health containment measures of COVID-19 in China and India. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 14: 3323–3332

[7] Chu W, Fang C, Deng Y, Xu Z. (2021). Intensified disinfection amid COVID-19 pandemic poses potential risks to water quality and safety. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(7): 4084–4086

[8] Dhama K, Patel S K, Kumar R, Masand R, Rana J, Yatoo M I, Tiwari R, Sharun K, Mohapatra R K, Natesan S. . (2021). The role of disinfectants and sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic: advantages and deleterious effects on humans and the environment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 28(26): 34211–34228

[9] Gong T, Tao Y, Xian Q. (2016). Selection and applicability of quenching agents for the analysis of polar iodinated disinfection byproducts. Chemosphere, 163: 359–365

[10] Guo J, Liao M, He B, Liu J, Hu X, Yan D, Wang J. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on household disinfectant consumption behaviors and related environmental concerns: a questionnaire-based survey in China. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(5): 106168

[11] He J, Shi M, Wang F, Duan Y, Zhao T, Shu S, Chu W. (2020). Removal of CX3R-type disinfection by-product precursors from rainwater with conventional drinking water treatment processes. Water Research, 185: 116099

[12] Huang H, Wu Q Y, Hu H Y, Mitch W A. (2012). Dichloroacetonitrile and dichloroacetamide can form independently during chlorination and chloramination of drinking waters, model organic matters, and wastewater effluents. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(19): 10624–10631

[13] Indexbox Inc. (2022). IndexBox AI Platform, World: Disinfectants 2007–2021. Luxembourg: IndexBox, Inc.

[14] Li Z G, Li Y, Liu Z N, Li G R, Zhu A N (2012). Sterilization of clothes infected by bacteria using chlorine-containing disinfectant coupled with heat effect. Advanced Materials Research, 554−556: 1656−1659

[15] Liang S, Jiang T, Jiao Z, Zhou Z. (2023). A model simulation on the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant containment in Beijing, China. Intelligent Medicine, 3(1): 10–15

[16] Zhao H, Huang C H, Zhong C, Du P, Sun P. (2022). Enhanced formation of trihalomethane disinfection byproducts from halobenzoquinones under combined UV/chlorine conditions. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 16(6): 76

[17] Liang W N, Liu M, Liu J, Wang Y D, Wu J, Liu X (2022). The dynamic COVID-Zero Strategy on prevention and control of COVID-19 in China. Chinese Medical Journal, 102(4): 239-242 (in Chinese)

[18] Liu J, Liu M, Liang W. (2022a). The Dynamic COVID-Zero Strategy in China. China CDC Weekly, 4(4): 74–75

[19] Liu M, Shi L, Chen H, Wang X, Yang M, Jiao J, Yang J, Sun G. (2022b). Comparison between China and Brazil in the two waves of COVID-19 prevention and control. Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 12(2): 168–181

[20] Marteinson S C, Lawrence M J, Taranu Z E, Kosziwka K, Taylor J J, Green A, Winegardner A K, Rytwinski T, Reid J L, Dubetz C. . (2023). Increased use of sanitizers and disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic: identification of antimicrobial chemicals and considerations for aquatic environmental contamination. Environmental Reviews, 31(1): 76–94

[21] Ministryof EcologyEnvironmentof the People’s Republic of China (2002). Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water. Beijing: Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (in Chinese)

[22] NationalHealth Commission of the People’s Republic of China (2022). Optimizing COVID-19 Prevention and Control in a Scientific and Precise Manner. Beijing: National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (in Chinese)

[23] Parveen N, Chowdhury S, Goel S. (2022). Environmental impacts of the widespread use of chlorine-based disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(57): 85742–85760

[24] Price O R, Hughes G O, Roche N L, Mason P J. (2010). Improving emissions estimates of home and personal care products ingredients for use in EU risk assessments. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 6(4): 677–684

[25] Probst L F, Guerrero A T G, Cardoso A I D Q, Grande A J, Croda M G, Venturini J, Fonseca M C D C, Paniago A M M, Barreto J O M, De Oliveira S M D V L. (2021). Mask decontamination methods (model N95) for respiratory protection: a rapid review. Systematic Reviews, 10(1): 219–232

[26] Rim K T. (2017). Reproductive toxic chemicals at work and efforts to protect workers’ health: a literature review. Safety and Health at Work, 8(2): 143–150

[27] Shimabukuro P M S, Duarte M L, Imoto A M, Atallah Á N, Franco E S B, Peccin M S, Taminato M. (2020). Environmental cleaning to prevent COVID-19 infection: a rapid systematic review. Sao Paulo Medical Journal, 138(6): 505–514

[28] Wang C, Wang J, Liu Y, Zhang L, Sun Y, Qu J. (2021). Less attention paid to waterborne SARS-CoV-2 spreading in Beijing urban communities. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 15(5): 110

[29] WHO(2023). WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard Data. Geneva: World Health Organization

[30] Zhao Y, Yang Y J, Shao Y, Neal J, Zhang T. (2018). The dependence of chlorine decay and DBP formation kinetics on pipe flow properties in drinking water distribution. Water Research, 141: 32–45

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52091544).

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1857-7 and is accessible for authorized users.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2024 Higher Education Press 2024