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Evaluating and Managing the Effects of Improper Medical Waste Disposal
Summary
This paper evaluated the public health and environmental consequences of improper medical waste disposal, reviewing evidence of pathogen spread, chemical contamination, and plastic pollution from inadequately managed clinical waste. It recommended strengthened regulatory frameworks and treatment infrastructure for healthcare waste.
COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic that infected and killed millions around the world. Scientists are working around the clock to find cures and ways to prevent this disease. Due to this, personal protection equipment (PPE) has become one of the most valued resources in the healthcare industry. It protects doctors and other frontline workers from the virus and is a crucial necessity for all those working with COVID-19 patients. The world is worried about the shortage of these PPE kits as factories race to manufacture more protective equipment, however, not many are concerned about the environmental factors that come with the PPE that is used immensely around the world every day. PPE kits are made out of one main material, polypropylene, which doesn’t degrade. PPE is not recyclable or biodegradable, therefore it needs to be treated as waste. Most are disposed of in landfills, creating a bigger threat to our environment. Unsafe recycling of PPE is also a threat to human health, increasing the risk of transmitting the infection. One solution is educating the public about the proper disposal of medical waste and enforcing environmental-friendly health care with optimal priority.