Abstract

HAZARDOUS EFFECTS OF SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE AND SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, AN OVERVIEW

Tasneem Ara*, Ghulam Nabi Laway, Abdul Samieh Deva, Barina Deva, Nitish Bhatia and Rifat Arifa Khan

ABSTRACT

Surfactants or surface active agents are a special class of versatile amphiphlic compounds that possess spatially distinct polar (hydrophilic head) and non-polar (hydrophobic tail) group. Surfactants play a vital role in various drug delivery. In order to formulate formulations of substances that are poorly soluble in water, pharmaceutically acceptable surfactants are usually used to increase solubility. They show interesting phenomenon in solution by modifying the interfacial and bulk solvent properties. In view of its amphiphilic nature and distinctive capability of lowering the interfacial tension, surfactant finds applications in almost every aspects of our daily life directly or otherwise in household detergents and personal care products, in industrial process as in pharmaceuticals, food processing, oil recovery and in nanotechnologies, etc. Detergents, a term often used interchangeably with surfactants especially the anionic ones, refer to a combination of synthetic surfactants with other substances - organic or inorganic formulated to enhance functional performance specially as cleaning agents. Colloids and surface science have emerged as a versatile interdisciplinary subject, which have made inroads, inter alia, into the study of mimetic chemistry that play a vital role in understanding a variety of functions in the living cells and also the intricate life processes. This article gives an insight into the potential hazards of the so called anionic surfactants viz; sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate.

Keywords: Surfactants, sodium laurly sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, Anionic surfactants.