While environmentalists are appreciating the reduction in pollution due to lockdowns enforced across the world by many nations, another threat is on the horizon. All over the world, people have been enjoying cleaner air as a result of factories being shut. COVID-19 outbreak and the resultant lockdowns enforced by nations worldwide have drastically reduced pollution. Even the ozone layer hole over the Arctic closed in March. But while all this is good news, another threat is on the rise. But this time, it is one of the safety methods being used in the fight against COVID-19 – personal protective equipment (PPE).
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According to a WWF report, incorrect disposal of even 1% of the masks pose a huge threat. “If even only 1% of the masks were disposed of incorrectly and perhaps dispersed in nature this would result in 10 million masks per month dispersed in the environment. Considering that the weight of each mask is about 4 grams this would lead to the dispersion of over 40 thousand kilograms of plastic in nature: a dangerous scenario that must be defused” the report said. “Increasing quantities of masks and gloves are sighted in the sea where they risk becoming lethal for turtles and fish that mistake them for prey to feed on. An estimate by the Polytechnic of Turin says that for Phase 2, in which production and social activities will be gradually restarted, 1 billion masks and half a billion gloves per month will be needed. These are very high quantities that require those who use these protective devices to assume responsibility: each of us must make an effort to ensure that we proceed with correct disposal and with the least possible impact on nature.”
While the use of PPEs are essential to the current pandemic scenario that we live in, proper ways to dispose the masks too is critical. There is still no scientific evidence to prove that single-use plastic is better than reusable ones. With thousands of masks being discarded on the streets, this could lead to another environmental threat.
