Does ##H_2 O_2## or benzalkonium chloride pollute the environment?

[Wrichik Basu]

TL;DR

Does hydrogen peroxide or benzalkonium chloride pollute the environment, or are they bad for aquatic life?

We have to go to a hospital quite a lot these days, and that hospital offers treatment for COVID-19. We have to take additional precautions due to this reason. In addition to washing our hands/keeping them sanitised, we also need to disinfect our clothes properly after every visit.

Till date, we have used the usual antiseptic liquid (which contains chloroxylenol) to disinfect our clothes. However, I decided to buy a laundry disinfectant instead. I had two choices on Amazon.in: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0835LLD8G/?tag=pfamazon01-20 and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0874ZBZWV/?tag=pfamazon01-20.

One person https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/R2B0VJU51D/?tag=pfamazon01-20 in the Reviews section that choice #1 is not safe for the environment, and it is written on the bottle that it has long-lasting adverse effects on aquatic life. So I do not want to buy this one.

Choice #2 contains benzalkonium chloride and hydrogen peroxide as active ingredients. Is anyone of these two harmful for the environment?

 

[Chestermiller]

I don't think H2O2 is bad for the environment. It has a very short lifetime in the air and water, going to water and oxygen.

 

[BillTre]

I don't think H2O2 is bad for the environment. It has a very short lifetime in the air and water, going to water and oxygen.

Yes.
It is one a small set of disinfectants used in large fish facilities.
It is probably the best with respect to going away rapidly and leaving no residue (forms 0₂ and H₂O). Thus little toxicity.
I the short term it will oxydize organic molecules it come in contact with (which is how it kills things).
Direct exposure at low levels is used for treating some fish infestations.
Prolonged or higher exposures would not be good.

 

[jrmichler]

The safety data sheet for benzalkonium chloride has some toxicological information on aquatic organisms: https://www.fishersci.com/store/msd...endorId=VN00032119&countryCode=US&language=en.

The safety data sheet also says that it is not known if it bioaccumulates.