SpringerLink
Log in

Dynamic COVID Zero Strategy triggered a significant increase of chlorine-based disinfectant consumption in Bei**g

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

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 Bei**g 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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Canada)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bei**g Center for Disease Prevention and Control (2020). COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Guidelines for Office Place. Bei**g: Bei**g Center for Disease Prevention and Control (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bei**g Center for Disease Prevention and Control (2022). COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Guidelines for Personnel in High, Medium and Low Risk Areas. Bei**g: Bei**g Center for Disease Prevention and Control (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bei**g Municipal Commerce Bureau (2022). COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Guidelines for Commodity Trading Markets. Bei**g: Bei**g Center for Disease Prevention and Control (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bei**g Municipal Health Commission (2021). 2020–2035 Special Plan for Medical and Health Facilities. Bei**g. Bei**g Municipal Health Commission (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dhama K, Patel S K, Kumar R, Masand R, Rana J, Yatoo M I, Tiwari R, Sharun K, Mohapatra R K, Natesan S, et al. (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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • 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)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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, et al. (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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (2002). Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water. Bei**g: Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (2022). Optimizing COVID-19 Prevention and Control in a Scientific and Precise Manner. Bei**g: National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

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

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Bei**g, 100084, China

    Xuhao Wang, Mai Su, Chunyan Wang & Yi Liu

Authors
  1. Xuhao Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mai Su
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chunyan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yi Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yi Liu.

Ethics declarations

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.

Additional information

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.

Supplementary Information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, X., Su, M., Wang, C. et al. Dynamic COVID Zero Strategy triggered a significant increase of chlorine-based disinfectant consumption in Bei**g. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 18, 97 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1857-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1857-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation