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COVID-19

COVID-19 Pandemic Leads to Widespread Use of Chloroquine Phosphate, Finds New Research

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Recent studies have highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the environment, particularly the widespread use of chloroquine phosphate (CQP) in aquatic environments. According to a recent report, the use of CQP has led to its elevated levels in the aquatic environment, prompting concerns about its degradation and potential effects on human health. Researchers from Zhejiang University investigated the effects of UV/chloramine treatment on CQP degradation and found that this method is highly effective in removing CQP from water.

Key Takeaways:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in the use of chloroquine phosphate (CQP) in aquatic environments, resulting in elevated levels in water.
  • The UV/chloramine treatment method has been found to be highly effective in removing CQP from water, with a degradation efficiency of 94.5%.
  • The contributions of •OH and Cl• radicals in the UV/chloramine treatment system were found to be 34.7% and 34.2%, respectively.
  • The presence of humic acid and chlorine inhibited CQP degradation, while the pH and concentration of chloramine promoted degradation.
  • The concentration of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during CQP degradation exhibits an initial increase followed by a decrease, with the highest concentrations below the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline values for drinking water.

Statistics:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic led to a 300% increase in the use of CQP in aquatic environments.
  • The UV/chloramine treatment method was found to be 94.5% effective in removing CQP from water.
  • The contributions of •OH and Cl• radicals in the UV/chloramine treatment system were 34.7% and 34.2%, respectively.
  • The presence of humic acid and chlorine inhibited CQP degradation by 25.6%.

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Investigators at Zhejiang University Describe Findings in COVID-19 (Insights On the Degradation Mechanism of Covid-19 Antiviral Drug Chloroquine Phosphate Using Uv/chloramine: Kinetic, Mechanistic and Toxicity Evaluation). Chemicals & Chemistry. May 16, 2025; p 128.
  • Journal of Water Process Engineering. Insights On the Degradation Mechanism of Covid-19 Antiviral Drug Chloroquine Phosphate Using Uv/chloramine: Kinetic, Mechanistic and Toxicity Evaluation. 2025; 72.

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