Anionic Surfactants Monitoring In Healthcare Facilities - A Case of Belo Horizonte City, Brazil

Abstract

Surfactants are substances that when in aquatic environments, can cause negative impacts. Hospital effluents carry numerous chemicals daily, including surfactants, used in sanitization and disinfection procedures. These chemicals are found in different concentrations in the effluents and reach water bodies due to a lack of proper removal in the wastewater treatment plants. The present study investigated data about effluents monitoring from healthcare facilities located in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, focusing on anionic surfactants. The results showed, in 2018, a total of 72 establishments monitoring this parameter, resulting in a median concentration of 1 mg⋅L-1 of anionic surfactants in the period. Cationic surfactants still do not have specific legislation in the studied country that dictates a limit for discharge into sewage, however, these compounds are used in the formulation of routine hospital products.