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Plastic Waste and COVID-19 Incidence Among Hospital Staff After Deescalation in PPE Use
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This quality improvement study at a hospital found that scaling back the use of personal protective equipment following national guidelines significantly reduced plastic waste, costs, and carbon footprint without compromising staff safety. The reduction in protective gown use alone led to measurable decreases in plastic waste generation. The findings suggest that PPE protocols can be optimized to reduce environmental impact while maintaining healthcare worker protection.
This quality improvement study of hospital PPE usage observed that the national PPE deescalation guidelines corresponded with the reductions in protective gown use, associated costs, carbon footprint, and plastic waste generation with no apparent compromise to staff safety and health.
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This review examines the environmental impacts of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) used during COVID-19, which is primarily made from polypropylene and polyester plastics. The surge in PPE use generated enormous quantities of plastic waste, much of which was not properly disposed of and ended up in oceans and other environments. The authors call for development of biodegradable or reusable alternatives for healthcare personal protection.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.