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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Environmental Catastrophe of COVID-19: Disposal and Management of PPE in Bangladesh
ClearPPE pollution in the terrestrial and aquatic environment of the Chittagong city area associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant health implications
Researchers documented the improper disposal of face masks and other personal protective equipment in the Chittagong metropolitan area of Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding widespread terrestrial and aquatic contamination with plastic microfibers that poses risks for both viral persistence and microplastic pollution.
Disseminating the Biomedical Waste Generation Scenario During Covid-19: an Overview from the Lower Middle Income Country Bangladesh
This study quantified biomedical waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, estimating that about 158 million face masks were disposed of in urban areas alone during the study period, generating 517 tons of solid waste. Pandemic-related medical waste adds a significant burden of plastic pollution, including microplastic-shedding personal protective equipment.
Face masks: protecting the wearer but neglecting the aquatic environment? - A perspective from Bangladesh
This perspective paper argues that the surge in single-use face mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh has significantly increased plastic waste and microplastic pollution entering aquatic environments, calling for sustainable mask disposal policies.
The Escalating Biomedical Waste Management To Control the Environmental Transmission of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Perspective from Two South Asian Countries
This study examines the growing challenge of biomedical waste management during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh and India. The research suggests that improperly managed personal protective equipment and medical waste could contribute to long-term microplastic pollution, and recommends modernizing waste management policies and installing adequate incineration infrastructure to prevent environmental and community transmission risks.
The Impacts of Plastic Waste from Personal Protective Equipment Used during the COVID-19 Pandemic
This review analyzes the environmental impacts of personal protective equipment plastic waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic, examining how the unprecedented surge in PPE demand overwhelmed waste management systems and contributed to microplastic pollution.
Perception and Attitudes Toward PPE-Related Waste Disposal Amid COVID-19 in Bangladesh: An Exploratory Study
Public perceptions of and attitudes toward disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE) waste were surveyed in Bangkok, Thailand, during the COVID-19 outbreak. Most respondents lacked information on proper PPE disposal, with improper disposal behavior increasing the risk of PPE-derived microplastic pollution entering the environment.
Biomedical Waste Management in Bangladesh: A Critical Review of Environmental Burden and Public Health Implications
This review examined biomedical waste management in Bangladesh, finding inadequate segregation, treatment, and disposal are creating serious public health and environmental risks. Disposable medical products contribute to microplastic pollution, and the authors called for improved regulation, healthcare worker training, and sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics.
Water, sanitation, hygiene and waste disposal practices as COVID-19 response strategy: insights from Bangladesh
Researchers surveyed WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) behaviors and COVID-19 protective equipment disposal practices in Bangladesh, finding that while most respondents had good sanitation access and used face masks, over 50% disposed of used masks and gloves with regular household waste — creating a potentially serious microplastic and infectious waste pollution pathway.
Plastic pollution in Bangladesh: A review on current status emphasizing the impacts on environment and public health
This review assessed plastic pollution in Bangladesh — including its magnitude, sources, and health and environmental consequences — and found that microplastic contamination is widespread but poorly monitored, with limited national policy response relative to the scale of the problem.
Current scenario and challenges of plastic pollution in Bangladesh: a focus on farmlands and terrestrial ecosystems
Researchers reviewed the sources, dispersion routes, and environmental consequences of plastic waste across global and Bangladesh-specific contexts, finding that inadequate infrastructure and limited resources make plastic pollution — including microplastics entering agricultural soils, marine environments, and food chains — an especially acute threat in developing countries.
Escalating SARS-CoV-2 circulation in environment and tracking waste management in South Asia
This review examined how the COVID-19 pandemic drove surges in PPE and plastic waste in South Asia, creating risks of environmental contamination and pathogen dispersal through improper disposal, and highlighting the need for better waste management frameworks before and during health emergencies.
An overview of the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in multi-environmental components of Bangladesh
Researchers compiled and analyzed studies on microplastic pollution across multiple environments in Bangladesh, including water, soil, air, and food. They found that microplastic contamination is widespread throughout the country but that significant knowledge gaps remain, particularly regarding long-term health and environmental impacts. The study calls for standardized monitoring methods and stronger policies to address plastic pollution in one of the world's most densely populated nations.
Insights into hazardous solid waste generation during COVID-19 pandemic and sustainable management approaches for developing countries
Researchers reviewed hazardous solid waste generated by COVID-19 personal protective equipment, noting that SARS-CoV-2 persistence on plastic and other surfaces makes improper disposal a transmission risk, and proposed measures including biodegradable PPE materials and strategic pre-planning for waste management in low- and middle-income countries.
Challenges and Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Waste Management Systems: A Review
Researchers reviewed the global impact of COVID-19 on waste management systems, focusing on the surge of disposable personal protective equipment and single-use plastics. The study highlights that pandemic-related waste has created novel pollution pathways for air, soil, and water contamination, and discusses the challenges this poses for existing waste management infrastructure worldwide.
Microplastic Pollution in Bangladesh: A Review of Ecological and Biochemical Impacts
This review summarized the current state of microplastic pollution in Bangladesh, covering occurrence across water, soil, seafood, and air, as well as documented ecological and biochemical health impacts. The authors identify Bangladesh's rapid urbanization and poor waste management as key drivers of its disproportionate microplastic burden.
Impacts of the Plastics From Waste Personal Protective Equip-Ment in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers analyzed the surge in personal protective equipment use during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019-2022 and its downstream environmental consequences, including microplastic generation. The study highlights that improperly discarded PPE, predominantly plastic-based and non-biodegradable, accumulates in landfills and marine environments, and frames waste management solutions within the UN Sustainable Development Goals framework.
Occurrences, sources, fate and impacts of plastic on aquatic organisms and human health in global perspectives: What Bangladesh can do in future?
This review provides a comprehensive overview of plastic and microplastic pollution in aquatic environments globally, with a specific focus on the situation in Bangladesh. Researchers compiled evidence on the sources, fate, and biological impacts of plastic pollution on aquatic organisms ranging from plankton to fish, as well as potential human health risks. The study concludes with recommendations for waste management strategies and future research priorities tailored to Bangladesh's specific environmental and economic challenges.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) pollution driven by COVID-19 pandemic in Marina Beach, the longest urban beach in Asia: Abundance, distribution, and analytical characterization.
This study surveyed COVID-19 personal protective equipment littered on Marina Beach in India, finding over 1,150 items with face masks making up the vast majority. The authors measured the chemical composition of the discarded PPE and raised concerns about masks becoming a significant new source of microplastic pollution as they degrade in coastal environments.
The effect of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic on the use of personal protective equipment in hospitals
Researchers assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic affected personal protective equipment usage in a German hospital, finding a dramatic increase in PPE consumption during the pandemic that generated substantially more plastic waste with environmental implications.
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.
COVID-19 Generated Personal Protective Equipment: Sources of Microplastics and Pathogen Vectors in Marine Environments?
This study raises concern that COVID-19-related personal protective equipment such as face masks, gloves, and gowns improperly disposed of in marine environments are releasing microplastics and potentially acting as pathogen vectors, creating a dual contamination risk from pandemic waste.
Mascarillas faciales: contaminación ambiental, efectos toxicológicos, posibles soluciones y políticas globales
This review examined the environmental contamination, toxicological effects, and global policy responses related to face mask pollution generated during the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting how the surge in mask use following the WHO declaration created a new source of plastic waste and microplastic pollution.
Unveiling the microplastic crisis: Insights into Bangladesh's aquatic ecosystems - origins, impact, and solutions
This review examines the growing microplastic crisis in Bangladesh's rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters, finding that the country's rapid urbanization and limited waste management have led to widespread contamination. Microplastics were documented in water, sediment, and fish across multiple Bangladeshi water systems. Since over 160 million people in Bangladesh depend on these water resources for drinking, farming, and fishing, the contamination poses a significant public health concern.
Impactos ambientales por residuos sólidos generados durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y alternativas de solución
This review synthesized research on the environmental impacts of solid waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic—particularly disposable PPE—and evaluated proposed solutions including incineration, recycling, and biodegradable alternatives.