Detergent Research Articles

Unintentional pediatric exposures to household cleaning products: a cross-sectional analysis of the National Poison Data System (2000–2015)

BackgroundHousehold cleaning products are the second most common cause of unintentional poisoning in children < 6 years old in the United States. The aim of this study is to characterize exposures to household cleaning substances in this age group from data collected from the Nation’s Poison Control Centers.MethodsThis cross-sectional study analyzed all household cleaner calls classified as age < 6 years old made to the American Association of Poison Control Centers between January 1st 2000 and December 31th 2015.ResultsSignificant clinical effects or injury was low, making up only 2.6% of cases with a known medical outcome. Alkali-based cleaning products accounted for the third highest frequency of overall exposures and the highest number of all exposure outcomes determined to have a significant clinical effect or injury.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated particular danger of adverse outcomes after exposure to alkali-based cleaning products, specifically alkali-based oven and drain cleaners. Both of which are readily accessible in many households. This study may be a good starting point for further study and poison prevention efforts.

Influence of the composition on the rheological and functional properties of the composition of liquid synthetic detergents

Influence of the composition on the rheological and functional properties of the composition of liquid synthetic detergents

Occurrence of microplastics in three types of household cleaning products and their estimated emissions into the aquatic environment

Microplastics (MPs) in household cleaning products are a significant source of primary MPs. However, their presence in these products remain largely unknown. In this study, three types of common household cleaning products (laundry detergents, toilet bowl cleaners, and dishwashing detergents) were examined to assess the presence of MPs. The potential global emissions of MPs into aquatic environments resulting from the use of these products were estimated using statistics on global wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and household cleaning product markets. The average abundance of MPs in household cleaning products was 564.97 ± 327.83 n·kg−1, with toilet bowl cleaners having a significantly higher abundance than the other two products. The most commonly detected polymers in these products were polyamide (PA), silicone, polyurethane (PU), acrylate copolymer (ACR), polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), while the size of the MPs ranged from 21.34 to 442.97 μm, with 81.52 % being <50 μm and 87.32 % being fragment-shaped. The estimated annual MP emissions from these three types of household cleaning products were 3.88 × 1013 ± 1.35 × 1013, with toilet bowl cleaners accounting for 56.44 % of the total emissions. MPs directly released without treatment in WWTPs (2.46 × 1013 n year−1) accounted for 63.40 % of the total emissions, highlighting the importance of increasing the treated rate of wastewater to reduce MP emissions. Sensitivity tests indicated that increasing the MP removal rates of secondary and tertiary WWTPs could also effectively reduce MP emissions. Moreover, gross and per capita MP emissions in 149 countries showed significant differences, which could be attributed to population, market size, demand for household cleaning products, and the level of MP removal among different countries. The findings of this study provide important insights into controlling MP contamination in household cleaning products.

Research Progress of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Edible Oil—A Review

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been widely used in different types of consumer and industrial applications such as surfactants, household cleaning products, textiles, carpets, cosmetics, firefighting foams, and food packaging because of their good stability and special physicochemical properties of hydrophobicity, oleophobicity, high temperature resistance, etc. Meanwhile, PFASs are considered an emerging organic pollutant due to their persistence and potential toxicity to human health. PFASs occur in edible oil, an important component of the global diet, mainly in three ways: raw material contamination, process contamination, and migration from oil contact materials. Thus, the occurrence of PFAS in edible oils has drawn more and more attention in recent years. In this work, the pertinent literature of the last two decades from the Web of Science database was researched. This review systematically addressed the potential sources, the contamination levels, and the progress of the determination of PFASs in edible oil. It aims to provide a relatively whole profile of PFASs in edible oil, render assistance to minimise human exposure to PFASs, and standardise the detection methods of perfluoroalkyl substances in edible oil.

Did people really drink bleach to prevent COVID-19? A guide for protecting survey data against problematic respondents.

Survey respondents who are non-attentive, respond randomly, or misrepresent who they are can impact the outcomes of surveys. Prior findings reported by the CDC have suggested that people engaged in highly dangerous cleaning practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, including ingesting household cleaners such as bleach. In our attempts to replicate the CDC's results, we found that 100% of reported ingestion of household cleaners are made by problematic respondents. Once inattentive, acquiescent, and careless respondents are removed from the sample, we find no evidence that people ingested cleaning products to prevent a COVID-19 infection. These findings have important implications for public health and medical survey research, as well as for best practices for avoiding problematic respondents in all survey research conducted online.

Application of a protective coating on sodium percarbonate particles in a fluidized bed apparatus

Sodium percarbonate (SPC) is used as an environmentally friendly bleaching agent in synthetic detergents. This strong oxidizing agent is incompatible with some other detergent components, such as enzymes. This problem can be solved by encapsulating SPC, whose delayed release will allow the enzymes to function with maximum efficiency before deactivation in the presence of SPC. Therefore, the selection of a coating material and the coating layer thickness seems to be a relevant research direction. In this work, SPC granules were encapsulated by spraying a sodium silicate solution through a pneumatic nozzle over a fluidized layer of granules. Encapsulated SPC samples with the coating content of 5, 8, 10 and 13% of the mass of the initial product were obtained. The dissolution kinetics of the obtained capsules under static and dynamic conditions was studied. At the relative coating mass of 5, 8, 10 and 13%, the dissolution time under dynamic conditions comprised 10, 14, 19 and 30 min, respectively. In order to predict the release of the active component from encapsulated SPC under the conditions different from those used in the conducted experiments, a mathematical model of this process was obtained. For parametric identification of the mathematical model by solving an inverse problem, the value of the effective diffusion coefficient of SPC through the capsule was found to be 1·10-10 m2/s. The calculated and experimental values of SPC release from the encapsulated granules showed good agreement.

Marketing plan: household products cleaning company, in Villahermosa Tabasco

Aim: To analyze the different variables that affect the development of the household cleaning products company, in order to obtain the positioning in relation to the other competitors, to achieve a 30% market share and to move to the growth stage to achieve profits. Methodology used: SWOT analysis, considering the marketing variables (product, price, advertising, location), for the design of the model of the current situation of the company, obtaining an overall diagnosis and objective identification of the guidelines to be followed, generating market segmentation strategies that will achieve the main objective of the household cleaning products company in Villahermosa, Tabasco. Contribute: Identified opportunities for strategic alliances, including service providers and a significant number of potential customers, overworked population needing cleaning assistance, companies identified as competitors lacking adequate technology and unprofessional service.

Developing home cleaning intervention through community engagement to reduce infections and antimicrobial resistance in Ghanaian homes

Globally Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) constitutes a health crisis, particularly in developing countries, where infectious disease are commonly fatal. There is clear evidence for microbial exposure and infection transmission within the home. Personal and environmental hygiene are the best ways of reducing household infections thus decreasing the need for antibiotics and consequently diminishing AMR. Despite this being an obvious step, research efforts to understand the home environment and its impact on AMR, cleaning and possible interventions on household cleaning are limited. We combined design and microbiology methods in an innovative mixed-method approach. A traditional survey design (n = 240), a design ethnography (n = 12), a co-design workshop and a pre-intervention microbiological dust sample analysis was undertaken to provide insights for codesign workshops in which new cleaning practices might be developed to minimise any AMR bacteria present in the household environments located in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Microbiological analysis of household dust showed that 36.6% of bacterial isolates detected were found to carry at least one resistance to the panel of antibiotics tested. Four scenarios were generated from an economic segmentation of the survey data. 50 ethnographic insights were ‘presented’ and descriptions of 12 bacteria species that showed resistance to one or more antibiotics (representing 176 bacterial isolates that showed resistance to one or more antibiotics found in the dust samples) were presented to the participants in a codesign workshop. An intervention, a new regime of cleaning practices agreed through the co-design workshop and practiced for thirty days, was made in (n = 7) households. The high prevalence of multidrug resistance observed in this study indicate the need for antibiotics surveillance program, not only in hospital settings but also in the household environment. There is, thus, an urgent need for targeting of interventions at the household level. Activating knowledge through community engagement in the research helps in increasing public perception and breaking down the scientist-public barrier.

Evaluation of public awareness and performance toward the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners to prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Disinfection is one of the most effective hygienic practices that would limit the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) through deactivating the coronavirus on contaminated skin, supplies, and surfaces. However, the type and concentration of disinfectants should be carefully selected to avoid damaging surfaces and to limit the side effects of these chemicals on household members and users. The aim of this study is to assess the public levels of awareness and performance concerning the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants during the spread of COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2021 among 750 residents of Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafrah, and Al-Ain regions. A google survey was distributed electronically for the online recruitment of the general population. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine whether significant differences exist in the levels of awareness and performance with regard to gender, region, education level, and diagnosis with COVID-19. Spearman correlation was used to test if any correlation existed between levels of awareness and performance. Kruskal-Wallis test was also used to check if significant differences exist in the mean score of performance with respect to irritation-to-poisoning symptoms. The study population recorded a lower mean score of awareness (5.37 out of 12) than performance (11.75 out of 16). The majority of the study population claimed a minimum of one irritation-to-poisoning symptom during the handling of household cleaners and disinfectants. Significant differences exist in the awareness and performance mean scores among various educational levels (P < 0.001). The level of awareness was statistically significant with regard to infection with SARS-CoV-2 (P < 0.05). Also, the level of performance was significantly different between males and females (P < 0.001). Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the mean score of performance is statistically significant with all the studied irritation-to poisoning symptoms (P < 0.05). Awareness campaigns and training programs are recommended to address the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Fevered reasoning: How heightened distress and lowered resources relate to COVID-19 beliefs

COVID-19 spawned many bogus beliefs (e.g., that it could be treated by ingesting household cleaners) and induced resistance to established facts (e.g., that it could be managed by vaccines). We tested whether transitory distress and insufficient psychosocial resources explain these maladaptive perspectives. According to the Resources and Perception Model (RPM; Harber et al., 2011, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023995), distress distorts perception and judgment, but psychosocial resources (e.g., social support, self-esteem, purpose) mitigate such distortions by buffering distress. Two cross-sectional studies of COVID-19 beliefs fit within the RPM framework. General life distress was related to endorsing bogus beliefs and denying facts. COVID-specific distress was also related to bogus beliefs but not to denial of facts. Resources, in contrast, were associated with fewer bogus beliefs and with greater acceptance of facts. As per RPM, distress mediated the relation between resources and bogus beliefs. Additionally, rejection of CDC recommendations and adoption of survivalist strategies were positively associated with distress and negatively associated with resources. All results were retained even after controlling for mood and individual differences including political ideology and news sources.

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate threats to surface waters at the national scale: A neglected traditional pollutant

Freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem services might decline due to exposure to chemicals. However, researchers have devoted much attention to the potential risks of emerging contaminants, while placing less effort on historical pollutants, such as the surfactant, linear-alkylbenzene-sulfonate (LAS), which is a major component of widely used synthetic detergents worldwide. In this study, a multilevel risk assessment approach was used to assess risks posed by LAS to aquatic organisms, on a wide spatial scale, based on various assessment endpoints. Additionally, bottom-up approaches were used to assess contributions of LAS source discharges to aquatic environments. Concentrations of LAS in surface waters of China ranged from less than the limit of detection to 14,200 μg/L. The predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) based on adverse effects on reproduction is 15 μg/L, which is slightly less than the PNEC based on other endpoints. 99% of surface waters in Chaohu Lake and the Hai River (Ch: Haihe) were predicted to pose a risk to growth of aquatic organisms, with a protection threshold of 5% of species (HC5). Discharges of LAS were estimated using activity data and emission factors for 280 major cities in the basin. Rural domestic sources were the main source of LAS to surface waters. These outcomes provided a process for developing comprehensive management and control approaches to help researchers and policymakers effectively manage water resources affected by increasing concentrations of LAS.

Psychosocial Factors Behind Deliberate Self-Poisoning in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) is an important cause of hospital admissions and subsequent mortality. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study in a tertiary-level teaching hospital situated in the northeastern part of Bangladesh to analyze the psychosocial factors responsible forDSP. This cross-sectional observational study was carried out amongpatients with DSP admitted to the medicine ward from January to December 2017, irrespective of gender, except for cases involving poisoning due to spoiled food, food contaminated by infectious organisms, poisoning by venomous animals, and street poisoning (commuter or travel-related poisoning).Consultant psychiatrist in accordance with the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder - IV (DSM-IV) confirmed psychiatric disorders. Data were analyzed by SPSS (Statistical Package for social sciences) version 16.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Total 100 patients were enrolled. Among them, 43%were male and 57%were female. The majority (85%) of the patients were young, aged below 30 years. The mean age of male patients was 26.2 years and that of females was 21.69 years. Most of the DSP patients were from the lower economic class (59%). The population sample was remarkable for students (Prevalence 37%). The highest percentage of patients (33%) had their educational status at the secondary level. The common reasons for DSP were a family problem in 31% patients, quarrel with boy/girlfriend in 20%, quarrel with a spouse in 13%, quarrel with parents or other family member in 7%, failure in examination in 6%, poverty in 3%, and unemployment in 3%. Prescription medicationwas the most common poison material (38%), followed by insecticides (36%), household cleaners (17%), and rodenticides (8%). Seven (7%) patients reported previous deliberate self-harm events and co-morbid psychiatric disorder was present in 30% patients among them major depressive disorder was found in 60%, and schizophrenia in 23.3% cases. DSP remains a problem mainly for the young with gender ratio-favoring females. The majority of DSPs were educated up to secondary level, unmarried, residents of rural areas, student, and belonged to the lower class. Familial disharmony and quarrel with spouse or friends were the common reason behind DSP. Prescription medication and insecticides were commonly used for DSP. Psychiatric disorders, primarily depressive disorder, and schizophreniawere common in cases of DSP.

Common calls to a poisons information centre by general practitioners.

Poisoning in the community is common and can occasionally result in serious outcomes, such as organ damage and death. Many cases of poisoning can be successfully managed in the primary caresetting. This article describes common calls theQueensland Poisons Information Centre (Qld PIC) receives from general practices and provides information onthe management of poisoning in thecommunity. Common calls to the Qld PIC from general practice include calls about exposure to paracetamol and household cleaning products, with ocular exposure to toxins common. Most cases of poisoning can be managed supportively. Decontamination, observation or antidote therapy may be required in some cases. Ocular exposure to poisons requires irrigation, examination and, occasionally, referral for specialist ophthalmological assessment. The PIC can help general practitioners (GPs) with risk assessment and management advice to ensure the best outcomes for their patients. GPs cancontact the PIC on 13 11 26.

Suspect and non-target screening of chemicals in household cleaning products, and their toxicity assessment

In this study, 31 household spray-type cleaning products from 10 categories were examined to identify the substances contained in these products and evaluate their resulting toxicities. After substance detection via LC-QTOF-MS, suspect and non-target screenings were performed using UNIFI software. A total of 48 substances were identified during suspect screening. Among them, surfactant (freq. 22/31(71.0%)), plasticizer (freq. 23/31(74.2%)), antioxidant (freq. 20/31(64.5%)) were detected with high frequencies. Among the 48 compounds, tributyl citrate acetate was the most frequently detected (frequency 13/31, 41.9%). In addition, 51 substances were identified via non-target analysis. Among them, oleamide, a type of surfactant, showed a high frequency of detection (22/31(71.0%)). The toxicities of the 98 substances (suspect: 47 (except for confidence level 5) and non-target: 51) identified were evaluated using the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) database and Toxtree. Among them, 20 substances were classified as a substance of caution. The risk assessment for 3 substances identified with references standards was also performed. The suspect and non-target screening technique proved to be a useful method that can be applied when there are many non-specific chemicals and their components in the consumer products are not well known.

Efficiency of using gasoline fractions of tar processing as a raw material for pyrolysis

The field of organic synthesis (plastics, synthetic detergents, rubbers, etc.) is based on the processing of olefins and diolefins - pyrolysis products. As demand for basic petrochemical products increases worldwide, so does the need for pyrolysis feedstock itself, and today one of the problems of pyrolysis plants is to provide them with feedstock. Currently, the amount of raw materials supplied to the pyrolysis unit EP-300 of the Sumgayit petrochemical complex is several times lower than the needs of the plant, and incomplete loading of the plant with raw materials negatively affects the cost of the main products of the process: ethylene and propylene, and ultimately on the performance of the entire industry. Therefore, the possibility of using low-quality gasoline fractions of the processing of heavy oil residues, including gasolines from coking and hydrocracking of tar, as a raw material for pyrolysis, as well as the effect of process intensification on production efficiency were studied.

Current Scenario of Poisoning and Snake Bite Patients Admitted in Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital

Background: Poisoning cases are still neglected in our society. Recent studies have revealed the increasing trend of poisoning and snake bite patients, which may be a big challenge shortly. This study was carried out to observe the epidemiological profile of acute poisoning and snake bite in northeastern Bangladesh and to evaluate the risk factors, patterns and mortality. Methods: Data was collected from the emergency admission registrar of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital with a history of poisoning or snake bite from 1st January 2022 to 30th September 2022. Then indoor ward registers were used to see the outcomes. Results: 774 patients were admitted in the last nine months. Among them, 707 were poisoning cases (406 males and 301 females), and 67(48 males and 19 females) were snake bites. We found 201 (28%) patients with unknown poisoning, and 167 (24%) were OPC poisoning. Other poisoning types were drug overdose (sedative, paracetamol, antipsychotic, anti-depressant and anti-hypertensive) and corrosive poisoning (Herpic, Dettol, Savlon, Detergent, Soap, Household Cleaning Materials, and paraquat). Though less frequent (11 cases), parquet poisoning was the most fatal. Regarding, Snakebite, 16 (24%) were venomous, and 44 (66%) were non-venomous. At last, we observed 45 deaths (Poisoning 40 and Snakebite 5). Conclusion: Both poisoning and snake bite cases are important in the clinical context of every tertiary care hospital like ours. To reduce this burden, we should focus on the risk factors. At the same time, proper treatment guideline is necessary even in the rural setup to ensure initial life-saving care. Bangladesh J Medicine 2023; 34(2): 133-136

New trajectories of technologies for the removal of pollutants and emerging contaminants in the environment

Modern society has increasingly a diffusion of pollutants and emerging contaminants (e.g., different types of chemicals and endocrine disruptors in pharmaceuticals, pesticides, household cleaning, and personal care products, etc.) that have detrimental effects on the environment (atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and anthroposphere) and also generate diseases and disorders on the people health. Environmental science requires efforts in the detection and elimination of manifold pollutants and emerging pollutants with appropriate product and process technologies. This study aims to analyze different paths of treatment technologies to investigate their evolution and predict new directions of promising technological trajectories to support the removal of contaminants directed to reach, whenever possible, sustainable development objectives. The work is mainly devoted to wastewater treatment technologies. A proposed model analyzes the evolution of patents (proxy of innovation and new technology) on publications (proxy of science and knowledge advances) to quantify the relative growth rate of new trajectories of technologies to remove pollutants and emerging contaminants. Results reveal that new directions of treatment technologies having an accelerated rate of growth are (in decreasing order): biochar and reverse osmosis in physical-based technologies, coagulation, and disinfection water treatments in chemical-based technologies and anaerobic processes in biological-based technologies. Other main technologies, such as carbon nanotubes and advanced oxidation processes, seem to be in the initial phase of development and need learning by using processes and further science and technology advances to be implemented as effective treatments and cost-effective methods. The results here show similar trends to global market revenue in water and wastewater treatment technologies. These findings bring us to the main information to extend the knowledge about new directions of technologies for the treatment and/or elimination of pollutants and microorganisms in order to support decisions of policymakers towards goals of sustainable development by reducing environmental degradation and people health disorders.

Effects of Household Cleaning Supplies on Trace Blood Evidence

This research is useful in forensic laboratories to prevent contamination. If a cleaner was found to remove all traces of blood, it could be used to sterilize lab benches and equipment to ensure no cross contamination between pieces of evidence. It could also be used in the field to determine which presumptive test would be more useful in different scenarios. The purpose of this project was to determine if common household cleaners could efficiently remove the presence of blood. To test this theory, I used hydrogen peroxide cleaner, dawn dish soap, and Clorox bleach to clean blood from three surfaces, laminate flooring, textured glass, and carpet. This was done using two different cleaning materials, paper towels and microfiber cloths, at 3-time intervals. After removing the visual evidence of blood, I tested for residual blood using two different presumptive tests, tetramethylbenzidine and phenolphthalein.&#x0D; Results show that three out of the twelve variable combinations gave all positive results. Over 50% of the presumptive tests ran on textured glass were negative. From the results of the presumptive tests, it was found that the tetramethylbenzidine test was more sensitive than the phenolphthalein test. Household cleaners do not effectively clean up blood, leaving behind enough residual blood to test positive using presumptive blood tests. The tetramethylbenzidine test was more sensitive than the other. More variables should be tested to determine the effects of household cleaners on surfaces such as furniture. Different presumptive tests should also be examined.

Eco-friendly scouring of cotton knit fabrics with enzyme and soapnut: An alternative to conventional NaOH and synthetic surfactant based scouring

Eye-catching, aesthetic fashions often suppress its untold dark story of unsustainable processing including hazardous wet treatment. Considering the risks imposed by conventional cotton scouring and following the trend of scouring with enzymes, this study was undertaken to evaluate the bioscouring of cotton knit fabric involving saponin-enriched soapnut as a natural surfactant, applied from a bath requiring a few chemicals and gentle processing conditions, contributing to the eco-friendliness. The proposed application was compared to synthetic detergent engaged enzymatic scouring as well as the classic scouring with Sodium hydroxide. A cellulolytic pectate lyase enzyme (0.5%–0.8% o.w.f) was applied at 55 °C for 60 min at pH 5–5.5 with varying surfactant concentrations. A low concentration of soapnut extract (1 g/L to 2 g/L) was found sufficient to assist in the removal of non-cellulosic impurities from the cotton fabric after bioscouring with 0.5% o.w.f. enzyme, leading to good hydrophilicity indicated by an average wetting time of 4.86 s at the expense of 3.1%–3.8% weight loss. The scoured fabrics were further dyed with 1% o.w.f. reactive dye to observe the dyeing performance. The treated samples were characterized in terms of weight loss, wettability, bursting strength, whiteness index, and color value. The proposed application confronted level dyeing and the ratings for color fastness to washing and rubbing were 4–5 for all of the samples scoured enzymatically with soapnut. The study was also statistically analyzed and concluded.

Multiorgan failure and death from a mixed Dettol and Clorox poisoning: a case report

BackgroundDettol and sodium hypochlorite have wide use as household disinfectants and cleaners. Intentional and nonintentional ingestion are widespread, mainly causing mild symptoms that require no specific treatment. However, severe complications can occur when large volumes are ingested. Both products affect the same organ systems in the body, which can result in fatalities when ingested together.Case presentationWe present the case of a 26-year-old Asian man who died from multiorgan failure after deliberately ingesting a presumed large volume of Dettol and sodium hypochlorite. The case illustrates the severe complications that can occur with mixed ingestion of these commonly used household products.ConclusionClinicians must be aware of the increased risk of death caused by the combined ingestion of chloroxylenol and sodium hypochlorite.