Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Covid-19 and the Environment: Challenges and Opportunities

This review examines both the environmental challenges and unexpected opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic, including temporary reductions in air pollution alongside a surge in single-use plastic waste from masks and PPE. The pandemic highlighted trade-offs between public health measures and plastic pollution.

2021 Trends journal of sciences research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

COVID-19, a double-edged sword for the environment: a review on the impacts of COVID-19 on the environment

This review assessed pandemic-related environmental impacts, finding that COVID-19 reduced air and water pollution temporarily through industrial slowdowns but simultaneously increased plastic waste, antibiotic release, and chemical contamination from disinfectants, producing a mixed and complex environmental legacy.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 19 citations
Article Tier 2

COVID-19 and Environment: a Review

This review examines both the negative and positive environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that while lockdown measures improved air quality and reduced water and noise pollution in many regions, the pandemic also dramatically increased plastic waste from single-use items and personal protective equipment. The authors assess how pandemic-era disruptions to human activity reshaped pollution patterns across multiple environmental domains.

2022 Pollution Research
Article Tier 2

COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the environment: A global perspective

This global perspective reviews environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting sharp increases in single-use plastic waste, pharmaceutical pollution, and medical waste that more than offset short-term pollution reductions seen during lockdowns. The authors argue that pandemic-driven plastic surges created a new wave of microplastic contamination entering aquatic and terrestrial systems.

2022 Narra J 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment, waste management, and energy sectors: a deeper look into the long-term impacts

This review examines the environmental consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that while short-term air quality improvements occurred during lockdowns, the long-term negative effects are far more significant. Researchers documented massive increases in single-use plastic waste from masks, gloves, and packaging, contributing substantially to microplastic pollution. The study highlights that the pandemic reversed progress on waste reduction and created new challenges for environmental management across waste, energy, and pollution sectors.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 75 citations
Article Tier 2

The long-term impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on environmental health: a review study of the bi-directional effect

Researchers reviewed how the COVID-19 pandemic created a two-way relationship with environmental health, finding that lockdowns temporarily improved air and water quality while simultaneously driving a surge in single-use plastic waste and biohazard materials. The review calls for long-term sustainability policies that balance economic recovery with environmental protection, including reducing plastic pollution.

2023 Bulletin of the National Research Centre/Bulletin of the National Research Center 2 citations
Article Tier 2

COVID-19 impact on agriculture and environment in India

This paper reviews the environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, covering both positive effects (improved air quality, reduced GHG emissions) and negative ones (increased plastic and medical waste, microplastic pollution from disposable PPE). It examines how pandemic-related disruptions to human activity temporarily improved some environmental indicators while worsening plastic contamination.

2025 International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science
Article Tier 2

Novel Covid-19: The Surge in Plastics (Known-Unknowns), Its Impacts on Public and Environmental Health and The Way Forward

This paper examined how the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased single-use plastic consumption — PPE, packaging, and food delivery items — reversing previous progress on plastic reduction. The surge in pandemic plastics is expected to increase microplastic pollution in air, water, and food for years to come.

2021 Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Positive and negative impacts of COVID-19 on the environment: A critical review with sustainability approaches

This review examines both the positive and negative environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. While lockdowns temporarily reduced air, water, and noise pollution, the massive increase in disposable masks, gloves, and plastic packaging created a surge in microplastic contamination. The study highlights how the pandemic exposed the tension between public health measures and environmental sustainability.

2024 Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution and associated health hazards: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic

This review explores how the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in single-use plastic waste from masks, gloves, and packaging, increasing microplastic pollution in the environment. Microplastics from this waste can enter land, air, and water, ultimately accumulating in the human body. The study highlights the need for better plastic waste detection, recycling, and management to reduce health risks from pandemic-driven microplastic contamination.

2023 Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on environment, society, and food security

Researchers reviewed the environmental and societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that while lockdowns temporarily reduced air and water pollution, the pandemic increased release of microcontaminants and biomedical plastic waste while severely disrupting global food security, particularly for vulnerable populations in low-income countries.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic and its consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers examined the dual role of plastic during the COVID-19 pandemic — as life-saving material in medical and personal protective equipment and as an environmental pollutant when improperly discarded — highlighting how pandemic-driven plastic use worsened water body contamination and public health risks.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Water Quality and Water Pollution in Time of COVID-19: Positive and Negative Repercussions

This review assesses the positive and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on water quality across different continents. While lockdowns temporarily reduced some pollution, the pandemic also increased plastic waste from personal protective equipment and single-use items, contributing to microplastic contamination of water bodies.

2022 Water 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution during COVID-19: Plastic waste directives and its long-term impact on the environment

Researchers reviewed how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated global plastic production — through mandatory masks, gloves, and single-use packaging — worsening long-term micro- and nanoplastic pollution in oceans, soils, and food chains. The study calls for stronger plastic waste management programs that specifically target the prevention of small plastic particles from entering ecosystems.

2021 Environmental Advances 317 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of COVID-19 on coastal and marine environments: Aggravated microplastic pollution, improved air quality, and future perspective

Researchers conducted a comprehensive review of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected coastal and marine environments between 2020 and 2023. The study found that pandemic-related waste, particularly personal protective equipment, significantly increased microplastic pollution in marine ecosystems, while lockdowns temporarily improved air quality. Evidence indicates that the environmental legacy of COVID-19 includes lasting microplastic contamination that will require long-term mitigation strategies.

2024 Chemosphere 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Greenhouse Gas Emission: Perception during the COVID‐19 Pandemic

This review examines greenhouse gas emission trends during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that while industrial shutdowns temporarily reduced emissions, the concurrent surge in single-use plastics and medical waste created new environmental pollution concerns.

2022 BioMed Research International 18 citations
Article Tier 2

COVID-19 Pandemic and Microplastic Pollution

This review links the COVID-19 pandemic to a surge in microplastic pollution driven by increased production and disposal of personal protective equipment including masks and gloves. The authors document how pandemic-related plastic waste entered terrestrial and aquatic environments and argue for circular economy strategies to prevent future public health crises from amplifying plastic pollution.

2022 Nanomaterials 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding of environmental pollution and its anthropogenic impacts on biological resources during the COVID-19 period

Researchers reviewed how the COVID-19 pandemic intensified plastic pollution across terrestrial, marine, and atmospheric environments by driving surges in single-use plastics and inadequately managed medical waste, with plastic-related contamination projected to pose escalating transboundary risks through 2030 and beyond.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Problem of Plastic Waste in the EU

This paper analyzed how the COVID-19 pandemic affected plastic waste generation and management in the European Union, finding that single-use plastic consumption increased sharply due to healthcare and hygiene needs. The surge in plastic use raises concerns about increased microplastic pollution in the long term.

2021 EUROPEAN RESEARCH STUDIES JOURNAL 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste and Sustainability: Reflections and Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Socio-Cultural and Environmental Context

This systematic literature review examined the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on plastic waste generation and management, finding through analysis of 22 studies that the pandemic increased PPE and microplastic pollution in coastal environments and shifted consumption patterns toward increased packaging waste from e-commerce, raising concerns about long-term socio-environmental consequences.

2022 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The plastic pandemic: COVID-19 has accelerated plastic pollution, but there is a cure

This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the global plastic pollution crisis through massively increased use of single-use protective equipment like masks and gloves. Researchers review the environmental consequences and propose solutions including improved waste management, biodegradable alternatives, and policy changes to curb plastic pollution going forward.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 41 citations
Article Tier 2

The COVID-19 pandemic as an impeller for the aggravation of marine plastic pollution and economic crisis: the reserve effect of health protection measures on human lives

This paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic worsened marine plastic pollution by dramatically increasing the use of single-use masks, gloves, and other protective equipment. Billions of pieces of pandemic-related plastic waste entered the environment, much of which ended up in oceans. The authors argue that biodegradable alternatives and better waste management are needed to prevent pandemic-era plastics from becoming a lasting marine pollution problem.

2021 Revista de Direito Internacional 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Increased pollution due to COVID-19 pandemic and bioremediation: A dire need of management

This review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic increased plastic pollution — particularly from PPE and single-use plastics — and discusses bioremediation strategies for cleaning up the resulting environmental contamination. The authors assess both short-term cleanup approaches and long-term strategies for preventing the accumulated pandemic plastic waste from becoming a persistent source of microplastic pollution. The review covers microbial and plant-based remediation options.

2021 Abasyn Journal Life Sciences
Article Tier 2

Plastic wastes in the time of COVID-19: Their environmental hazards and implications for sustainable energy resilience and circular bio-economies

This study examines how the surge in plastic waste during the COVID-19 pandemic, including personal protective equipment and packaging materials, has worsened environmental pollution. Researchers found that weathered plastic particles from PPE can adsorb chemical and microbial contaminants, posing risks to ecosystems and human health. The study argues that the pandemic could serve as an opportunity to improve life cycle assessment approaches and develop more sustainable plastic waste management strategies.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 62 citations