Surfactants in water supply sources: hygienic risks and international experience in public health protection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2415-8127.2026.74.28Keywords:
surfactants, surfactants, water supply, detergents, biodegradability, hygienic risk, STAR, drinking water, detergentsAbstract
Surfactants are integral components of modern household detergents, the widespread use of which leads to their constant supply to wastewater and surface water bodies used as sources of centralized drinking water supply. Despite the use of modern wastewater treatment technologies, part of surfactants and products of their transformation are stored in the aquatic environment, creating potential environmental and hygienic risks. The purpose of the work was to carry out a comprehensive hygienic assessment of long-term monitoring data of the State Institution "Dnipropetrovsk Regional Center for Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine" regarding pollution with surfactants of the Dnipro River, to assess their biodegradability and possible negative consequences of impact on the health of the population of Ukraine. The study is carried out in the format of analytical and descriptive work using methods of system analysis, comparison, generalization of scientific sources and regulatory documents. The practical part included the analysis of the composition of 20 detergents presented on the Ukrainian market, the classification of surfactants by chemical nature and the assessment of their biodegradability in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EC) № 648/2004 and OECD criteria. An analysis of the results of monitoring the content of anionic surfactants and orthophosphates in the water of the Dnipro River within the city of Dnipro for 2021–2025 was also carried out with the involvement of retrospective official environmental data. It was found that most of the studied detergents contain anionic, nonionic or cationic surfactants, while the highest biodegradability is characterized by products based on alkyl polyglucosides, which have a lower potential negative impact on aquatic ecosystems. According to the results of surface water monitoring, the concentrations of anionic surfactants at all control points remained below the limit of method determination and did not exceed the current hygienic standards. Concentrations of orthophosphates also met regulatory requirements, although in 2025 a local increase in their content was recorded, which indicates the need to continue systematic environmental control. The generalization of modern scientific research has confirmed that surfactants and their degradation products can have a membranotropic and cytotoxic effect, affect the permeability of biological membranes, the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance, in particular with the participation of quaternary ammonium compounds. It is shown that effective management of water pollution risks is based on a combination of regulatory regulation of biodegradability of detergents, improvement of wastewater treatment technologies and continuous environmental monitoring. The results obtained substantiate the feasibility of improving the monitoring system for surfactants, orthophosphates and organic load indicators in the sources of centralized water supply of Ukraine, harmonization of the national regulatory framework with the requirements of the European Union and the World Health Organization, as well as stimulation of the use of environmentally safe and easily biodegradable detergents as an important area of maintaining the quality of water resources and protecting public health.
References
Державна служба статистики України. Промисловість України у 2022 році : статистичний збірник. Київ, 2023. 220 с.
ДСанПіН 2.2.4-171-10. Гігієнічні вимоги до води питної, призначеної для споживання людиною : наказ МОЗ України від 12.05.2010 № 400. Київ : МОЗ України, 2010. 52 с.
ДСТУ 4808:2007. Джерела централізованого питного водопостачання. Гігієнічні та екологічні вимоги щодо якості води і правила вибирання. Київ : Держспоживстандарт України, 2007.
Екологічний паспорт Дніпропетровської області за 2016 рік / Дніпропетровська обласна державна адміністрація. Дніпро, 2017. URL: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/ss-87975316/87975316.
Екологічний паспорт Дніпропетровської області за 2018 рік / Дніпропетровська обласна державна адміністрація. Дніпро, 2019. URL: https://adm.dp.gov.ua/storage/app/media/uploaded-files/ekopasport2018.pdf.
Екологічний паспорт Дніпропетровської області за 2019 рік/ Дніпропетровська обласна державна адміністрація. Дніпро, 2020. URL: https://adm.dp.gov.ua/storage/app/media/EKOLOGIA/ekologichnij_pasport_2019_.pdf.
Екологічний паспорт Дніпропетровської області за 2021 рік / Дніпропетровська обласна військова адміністрація. Дніпро, 2021. URL: https://mepr.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Dnipropetrovska-obl-_-2021.pdf.
Про затвердження Гігієнічних нормативів якості води водних об'єктів для задоволення питних, господарсько-побутових та інших потреб населення : наказ Міністерства охорони здоров'я України від 02.05.2022 № 721. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z0524-22.
Badmus S. O., Amusa H. K., Adepoke A., Saleh T. A. Environmental risks and toxicity of surfactants: overview of analysis, assessment, and remediation techniques. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2021. Vol. 28, No. 44. P. 62085–62104. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16483-w.
Bhandari G., Bagheri A. R., Bhatt P., Bilal M. Occurrence, potential ecological risks, and degradation of endocrine disrupter, nonylphenol, from the aqueous environment. Chemosphere. 2021. Vol. 275. Article 130013. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130013.
Boyce J. M. Quaternary ammonium disinfectants and antiseptics: tolerance, resistance and potential impact on antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control. 2023. Vol. 12, Article 32. DOI: 10.1186/s13756-023-01241-z.
Camilleri M. Leaky gut: mechanisms, measurement and clinical implications in humans. Gut. 2019. Vol. 68, No. 8. P. 1516–1526. DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2019-318427.
Cowan-Ellsberry C., Belanger S., Dorn P., Dyer S., McAvoy D., Sanderson H., Versteeg D., Ferrer D., Stanton K. Environmental Safety of the Use of Major Surfactant Classes in North America. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2014. Vol. 44, No. 17. P. 1893–1993. DOI: 10.1080/10739149.2013.803777.
Directive 98/83/EC of the Council of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption. Official Journal of the European Communities. 1998. L 330. P. 32–54.
Euromonitor International. Home Care in the World. London : Euromonitor International, 2023.
Gałązka A., Jankiewicz U. Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (Nonylphenol and Bisphenol A) – Sources, Harmfulness and Laccase-Assisted Degradation in the Aquatic Environment. Microorganisms. 2022. Vol. 10, No. 11. Article 2236. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10112236.
Hegstad K., Langsrud S., Lunestad B. T., Scheie A. A., Sunde M., Yazdankhah S. P. Does the wide use of quaternary ammonium compounds enhance the selection and spread of antimicrobial resistance and thus threaten our health? Microbial Drug Resistance. 2010. Vol. 16, No. 2. P. 91–104. DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2009.0120.
Jackson M., Eadsforth C., Schowanek D., Delfosse T., Riddle A., Budgen N. Comprehensive review of several surfactants in marine environments: fate and ecotoxicity. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 2016. Vol. 35, No. 5. P. 1077–1086. DOI: 10.1002/etc.3297.
Jardak K., Drogui P., Daghrir R. Surfactants in aquatic and terrestrial environment: occurrence, behavior, and treatment processes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2016. Vol. 23, No. 4. P. 3195–3216. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5803-x.
Jena G., Dutta K., Daverey A. Surfactants in water and wastewater (greywater): Environmental toxicity and treatment options. Chemosphere. 2023. Vol. 341. Article 140082. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140082.
Lechuga M., Fernández-Serrano M., Jurado E., Núñez-Olea J., Ríos F. Acute toxicity of anionic and non-ionic surfactants to aquatic organisms. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2016. Vol. 125. P. 1–8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2015.11.027.
Lu J., Wang Y., Li J., Mao L., Nguyen S. H., Duarte T., Coin L., Bond P., Yuan Z., Guo J. Triclosan at environmentally relevant concentrations promotes horizontal transfer of multidrug resistance genes within and across bacterial genera. Environment International. 2018. Vol. 121. P. 1217–1226. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.10.040.
Maher S., Geoghegan C., Brayden D. J. Safety of surfactant excipients in oral drug formulations. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 2023. Vol. 202. Article 115086. DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.115086.
Mohapatra S., Yutao L., Goh S. G., Ng C., Luhua Y., Tran N. H., Gin K. Y. H. Quaternary ammonium compounds of emerging concern: Classification, occurrence, fate, toxicity and antimicrobial resistance. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2023. Vol. 445. Article 130393. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130393.
Nagtode V. S., Cardoza C., Yasin H. K. A., Mali S. N., Tambe S. M., Roy P., Singh K., Goel A., Amin P. D., Thorat B. R., Cruz J. N., Pratap A. P. Green Surfactants (Biosurfactants): A Petroleum-Free Substitute for Sustainability-Comparison, Applications, Market, and Future Prospects. ACS Omega. 2023. Vol. 8, No. 13. P. 11674–11699. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00591.
Najem T., Ayoub G. M., Salam D., Zayyat R. M. Eliminating hazardous pollutants: treatment options for dioxins and surfactants from water and wastewater: an updated review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2024. Vol. 31, No. 54. P. 62702–62729. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-35416-x.
Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on detergents. Official Journal of the European Union. 2004. L 104. P. 1–35.
Scott M. J., Jones M. N. The biodegradation of surfactants in the environment. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Vol. 1508, No. 1–2. P. 235–251. DOI: 10.1016/S0304-4157(00)00013-7.
Wang X., Du G., Qiao Z., Yang Y., Shi H., Zhang D., Pan X. Environmental concentrations of surfactants as a trigger for climax of horizonal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance. Heliyon. 2023. Vol. 9, No. 6. Article e17034. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17034.
World Health Organization. Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality: Fourth Edition Incorporating the First and Second Addenda. Geneva : WHO, 2022. 614 p.
Xu C., Ling H., Fan C., Xiang L., Zhang S., Li W., Yi C. Higher levels of nonylphenol were found in human urine and drinking water from rural areas as compared to metropolitan regions of Wuhan, China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2022. Vol. 29, No. 44. P. 66950–66959. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20513-6.
Ying G.-G. Fate, behavior and effects of surfactants and their degradation products in the environment. Environment International. Vol. 32, No. 3. P. 417–431. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2005.07.004.
