Plastic Waste And Pollution From Use Of Millions of Tons of Masks, Gloves Which Continues To End Up In Oceans
Article written back in NOVEMBER 9, 2021 titled :
”More than 57 million pounds of PPE and other COVID-related plastic waste have polluted the oceans since pandemic began, study finds”
It covered topic on studies that show how much damage has been done to the environment from massive use of facemasks ,gloves and other products since the beginning of “Covid”.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ppe-plastics-waste-polluting-ocean-covid-19-pandemic/
Following is written :
“Researchers found that since the pandemic began, 193 countries have generated roughly 8.4 million tons of pandemic-associated plastic waste. Of that, roughly 25,900 tons — or more than 57 million pounds — of waste, including personal protection equipment (PPE), has ended up in the ocean. Nearly three-quarters of that waste, researchers said, was generated by hospitals.
Along with face masks, gloves and face shields contributing to the problem, researchers found large quantities of packing materials polluting in the ocean and waterways leading to it, as lockdowns and social distancing led to more people shopping online. Packaging materials make up 4.7% of the plastic waste that's ended up in waterways and the ocean since the start of the pandemic, they said.
Researchers found that 46% of the pandemic-related plastic waste was generated in Asia, while 22% came from North and South America combined, and 24% from Europe. They noted a lower level of medical waste treatment and recycling in developing countries such as India, Brazil, and China”
Studies that were done on same subject :
Plastic waste release caused by COVID-19 and its fate in the global ocean
November 8, 2021
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2111530118
“Significance
Plastic waste causes harm to marine life and has become a major global environmental concern. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased demand for single-use plastic, intensifying pressure on this already out-of-control problem. This work shows that more than eight million tons of pandemic-associated plastic waste have been generated globally, with more than 25,000 tons entering the global ocean. Most of the plastic is from medical waste generated by hospitals that dwarfs the contribution from personal protection equipment and online-shopping package material. This poses a long-lasting problem for the ocean environment and is mainly accumulated on beaches and coastal sediments. We call for better medical waste management in pandemic epicenters, especially in developing countries.”
The effects of COVID-19 litter on animal life
22 Mar 2021
https://brill.com/view/journals/ab/71/2/article-p215_7.xml?language=en
“Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is massively used, resulting in a new wave of litter: protective face masks and gloves. Here we present the first case of a fish entrapped in a medical glove, encountered during a canal clean-up in Leiden, The Netherlands. We also report the first cases of birds using medical face masks as nesting material, which were also found in the Dutch canals. To place these new findings in context, we collected online reported interactions of animals with PPE litter, since the start of the pandemic. This resulted in the first overview of cases of entanglement, entrapment and ingestion of COVID-19 litter by animals and the use of it as nesting material. We signal COVID-19 litter as a new threat to animal life as the materials designed to keep us safe are actually harming animals around us.”
Estimating marine plastic pollution from COVID-19 face masks in coastal regions
April 2021
“Face masks such as N95, and surgical masks, contain a considerable portion of non-recyclable plastic material. Marine plastic pollution is likely to increase due to the rapid use and improper dispensing of face masks, but until now, no extensive quantitative estimation exists for coastal regions. Linking behaviour dataset on face mask usage and solid waste management dataset, this study estimates annual face mask utilization and plastic pollution from mismanaged face masks in coastal regions of 46 countries. It is estimated that approximately 0.15 million tons to 0.39 million tons of plastic debris could end up in global oceans within a year. With lower waste management facilities, the number of plastic debris entering the ocean will rise. Significant investments are required from global communities in improving the waste management facilities for better disposal of masks and solid waste.”
Mortality of a juvenile Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus, Spheniscidae) associated with the ingestion of a PFF-2 protective mask during the Covid-19 pandemic
13 March 2021
“ Highlights
•First documented case of marine animal mortality by PFF-2 mask ingestion
•We report occurrences of Covid-19 related pollution along the Northern part of the São Paulo coast in Brazil.
•Recommend dissemination of correct protective mask disposal practices to the general public in Brazil
•Urge for the continued monitoring of marine life in relation to Covid-19 marine litter
Abstract
We report the discovery of a dead Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) found on Juquehy Beach (23°46′S 45°44′W), municipality of São Sebastião, Brazil, on September 9th 2020. Following necropsy, we noted the presence of an adult size PFF-2 protective mask within the stomach of the penguin which we inferred as the cause of death. As far as we are aware, this is the first recorded instance of marine animal mortality by protective face mask ingestion. Whilst concerns have been raised relating microplastic contamination in marine environments from Covid-19 related waste, there has been relatively less attention paid to the potential risk of macro-scale contaminants, such as protective face coverings. We suggest that Covid-19 related macro contaminants be considered in coastal marine risk assessments and urge further research on this topic.”
Ironically, all the supposedly protective equipment that is designed to keep humans “safe and healthy” during the “COVID-19 pandemic” proved to be very destructive to marine animals, the ocean, and the environment in which we all live.
