What are the effects of disinfectants used in FMD control on the environment?
Disinfectants are chemicals which kill organisms that cause disease. They can also kill useful, valuable and / or rare organisms. Hence our rivers and waterways, and thereby our water sources for human use, can be seriously damaged by disinfectants. Care should be taken with their use and their disposal. The Environment Agency states on their website that “All disinfectants pose a potential pollution risk, particularly to rivers, streams and their associated wildlife, and those with a phenolic content can be particularly persistent.
