Sodium lauryl sulfate and its potential impacts on organisms and the environment: A thematic analysis

Abstract

Due to its ubiquitous presence in the environment and the lack of a scientific consensus regarding the environmental safety of the widely used anionic surfactant Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (CAS No: 151-21-3), a systematic literature review and thematic analysis was conducted. All studies about sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) in the environment in key databases were reviewed, with coding methods used to identify impact categories from SLS exposure without potential narration bias.Based on the limited number of studies on SLS, there is empirical evidence of this surfactant contributing to environmental toxicity at various concentrations (0.004–3509 mg L-1), with aquatic organisms at a higher risk from exposure. Furthermore, exposure to SLS can elicit changes to various organismic processes and environmental equilibrium. Hence, further study on SLS in various environmental compartments is recommended to monitor the level of SLS pollution, understand its behavior upon contact with various environmental media, and understand its impacts on flora and fauna. Lastly, SLS quantification should be done on commonly used consumer products to potentially regulate its use and to consequently curb SLS pollution from its source.

Keywords

• SLS
• Environmental risk
• Thematic analysis
• Surfactant
• Environmental safety
• Emerging contaminant