Pentachlorophenol and its effect on different environmental matrices: the need for an alternative wood preservative

Abstract

AbstractWood is considered to be one of the most important materials in the global economy. Wood loses shelf life in countries with severe winters. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) was predominantly used as a wood preservative because of its efficacy in controlling wood decay. This study discussed the overall impact of PCP across various environmental matrices, including soil, plants, water, air, and humans. Pentachlorophenol is a phenol substituted with five chloro-groups. High chlorination levels and stability of PCP make it hazardous to the environment, and persistent, and it also interferes with human, aquatic, and soil microbial health. PCP is volatile; thus, it is constantly discharged into the atmosphere and ingested by the human population. Owing to its hazardous nature, it was added to the Stockholm Convention’s list of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and phased out of the industry in 2023. This review has summarized PCP properties, usage, production volume, different transformation pathways, and its harmful effects on different environmental matrices such as air, water, soil, crops, and human health which have helped to outline the expected features of the new chemical compared with PCP. The improved chemical is intended to have quick degradability, fewer chlorine atoms, no aromatic structure, be non-toxic, environmentally benign, and efficient against wood deterioration while also penetrating the wood better.