Studies have revealed that benzalkonium chloride, a disinfectant ingredient, harms bee health

Recently, the innovation team of bee product quality and risk assessment of the Bee Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences found that the large-scale use of disinfectants can endanger the health
of bees.
By explaining the toxic mechanism of benzalkonium chloride, a disinfectant ingredient, which disrupts the intestinal function of bees, this study warns of its threat to the survival of pollinators and calls for the scientific use of disinfectants to maintain ecological security
.
The research was published online in Environment International
.

 

In recent years, with the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the use of disinfectants has increased
significantly.
Benzalkonium chloride is a widely used disinfectant ingredient with residual pollution throughout the ecosystem, posing a potential threat
to human health and the ecological environment.
However, the harm of benzalkonium chloride to non-target species, particularly on pollinators, has not been reported
.

 

In this study, bee colonies were treated with benzalkonium chloride concentrations equivalent to environmental residues, simulating the actual situation of bees at risk, and comprehensively assessing the risk
of benzalkonium chloride to bee gut health from multiple dimensions.
The results showed that benzalkonium chloride had a lethal effect on bees and was enriched
in the midgut site.
Exposure of bees to benzalkonium chloride will damage the midgut epithelial tissue, significantly reduce the abundance of intestinal probiotics, significantly reduce the content of the four membrane phospholipids that make up the intestinal cell membrane, and disrupt the expression of genes that play an important role in intestinal calcium absorption, muscle contraction and neurotransmission
.
This study is the first to put forward the need to attach great importance to the harmful effects of benzalkonium chloride on pollinators such as bees, and believes that it is necessary to further carry out risk assessment
related to bee products.

 

The research was supported
by the Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Basic Scientific Research Funds of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
(Correspondent Wang Xiaoying)

 

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