Potential impact of disinfectants on antimicrobial resistance development

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health threat, causing 1.27 million deaths in 2019. Exposure to various antimicrobial compounds, including pharmaceuticals, plant protection products, and biocides like disinfectants, can result in selection for AMR. The presence of chemicals in the environment due to anthropogenic use influences the dissemination, selection, and transmission of AMR. Disinfectants, which have various uses in clinical and healthcare settings, agriculture, aquaculture, household, commercial business, public and industrial settings, and water disinfection, have complex potential pathways to the environment. The lack of usage data and variation in the quantity used between different use scenarios makes evidence-based identification of key pathways difficult. The environmental fate of disinfectants used in the UK is determined by the physicochemical properties of the disinfectant, the characteristics of the environment, and persistence (biotic and abiotic degradation).