Seeker | Masks and PPE have a Big Plastic Problem, Here’s How We're Fixing It @Seeker | Uploaded May 2021 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created just the right conditions for a surge in plastic waste. But scientists are exploring ways to reuse protective plastics without compromising public safety.
» Subscribe to Seeker! bit.ly/subscribeseeker
» Watch more Elements! bit.ly/ElementsPlaylist
» Visit our shop at shop.seeker.com
The coronavirus pandemic has changed our daily lives in so many big ways, it's easy to lose track of its less obvious impacts. While we’re tracking infection rates and figuring out how to best distribute vaccines, COVID has created just the right conditions for a surge in plastic waste.
And of course there’s the plastic product that is emblematic of the entire pandemic: single-use surgical face masks. Unlike reusable cloth masks, these masks are built for people in high-risk areas, like hospitals, who need to change their masks often and need an easy way to go about doing that.
Being able to dispose of a mask after just one use and replace it with a sterile one has huge advantages. But the need to keep healthcare workers protected from infection means these masks — along with other protective equipment like face shields, N95 masks, and surgical gowns — are used and discarded at an incredible rate.
Scientists are fighting back by exploring ways to reuse protective plastics without compromising people’s safety.
#masks #PPE #covid19 #coronavirus #environment #environmentalimpact #sustainability #zerowaste #plasticwastemanagement #pandemic #seeker #science #elements
Read More:
Sustainable Covid-19 protection
chemistryworld.com/features/sustainable-covid-19-protection/4012826.article
"Only a few months after the first cases of an unusual pneumonia appeared in China, certain plastic items – those used for personal protective equipment, or PPE – had become some of the most in-demand items around the world."
NASA, University Hospitals Join Forces in Response to COVID-19
nasa.gov/press-release/glenn/2020/nasa-university-hospitals-join-forces-in-response-to-covid-19
"A team of researchers recently developed and tested two new approaches that could enable health care professionals to sanitize masks on-site and safely reuse them. These approaches also may be useful to the aerospace community when traditional sterilization techniques might not be available."
Accumulation of plastic waste during COVID-19
science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6509/1314
"If the global population adheres to a standard of one disposable face mask per day after lockdowns end, the pandemic could result in a monthly global consumption and waste of 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves."
____________________
Elements is more than just a science show. It’s your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested in all the compelling, innovative, and groundbreaking science happening all around us. Join our passionate hosts as they help break down and present fascinating science, from quarks to quantum theory and beyond.
Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.
Visit the Seeker website seeker.com/videos
Elements on Facebook facebook.com/SeekerElements
Subscribe now! youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=dnewschannel
Seeker on Twitter twitter.com/seeker
Seeker on Facebook facebook.com/SeekerMedia
Seeker seeker.com
The COVID-19 pandemic has created just the right conditions for a surge in plastic waste. But scientists are exploring ways to reuse protective plastics without compromising public safety.
» Subscribe to Seeker! bit.ly/subscribeseeker
» Watch more Elements! bit.ly/ElementsPlaylist
» Visit our shop at shop.seeker.com
The coronavirus pandemic has changed our daily lives in so many big ways, it's easy to lose track of its less obvious impacts. While we’re tracking infection rates and figuring out how to best distribute vaccines, COVID has created just the right conditions for a surge in plastic waste.
And of course there’s the plastic product that is emblematic of the entire pandemic: single-use surgical face masks. Unlike reusable cloth masks, these masks are built for people in high-risk areas, like hospitals, who need to change their masks often and need an easy way to go about doing that.
Being able to dispose of a mask after just one use and replace it with a sterile one has huge advantages. But the need to keep healthcare workers protected from infection means these masks — along with other protective equipment like face shields, N95 masks, and surgical gowns — are used and discarded at an incredible rate.
Scientists are fighting back by exploring ways to reuse protective plastics without compromising people’s safety.
#masks #PPE #covid19 #coronavirus #environment #environmentalimpact #sustainability #zerowaste #plasticwastemanagement #pandemic #seeker #science #elements
Read More:
Sustainable Covid-19 protection
chemistryworld.com/features/sustainable-covid-19-protection/4012826.article
"Only a few months after the first cases of an unusual pneumonia appeared in China, certain plastic items – those used for personal protective equipment, or PPE – had become some of the most in-demand items around the world."
NASA, University Hospitals Join Forces in Response to COVID-19
nasa.gov/press-release/glenn/2020/nasa-university-hospitals-join-forces-in-response-to-covid-19
"A team of researchers recently developed and tested two new approaches that could enable health care professionals to sanitize masks on-site and safely reuse them. These approaches also may be useful to the aerospace community when traditional sterilization techniques might not be available."
Accumulation of plastic waste during COVID-19
science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6509/1314
"If the global population adheres to a standard of one disposable face mask per day after lockdowns end, the pandemic could result in a monthly global consumption and waste of 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves."
____________________
Elements is more than just a science show. It’s your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested in all the compelling, innovative, and groundbreaking science happening all around us. Join our passionate hosts as they help break down and present fascinating science, from quarks to quantum theory and beyond.
Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.
Visit the Seeker website seeker.com/videos
Elements on Facebook facebook.com/SeekerElements
Subscribe now! youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=dnewschannel
Seeker on Twitter twitter.com/seeker
Seeker on Facebook facebook.com/SeekerMedia
Seeker seeker.com
