scholarly journals COVID Face Masks: Policy Shift Results in Increased Littering

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9875
Author(s):  
Dirk H. R. Spennemann
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Latex Gloves ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Policy Shift ◽  
Regional Australia ◽  
Mandatory Use ◽  
Indoor Spaces

The introduction of the mandatory use of fitted face masks in indoor spaces to limit the transmission of COVID-19 resulted in increased municipal waste of discarded single-use surgical face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) such as latex gloves. In parallel, the occurrence of intentionally or accidentally discarded masks has created a major environmental problem. This paper presents the data of a longitudinal study of the occurrence of discarded face masks in an urban environment of a community in regional Australia. It demonstrates that the shift from voluntary to mandatory use of fitted face masks resulted in an immediate increase of publicly discarded masks and other items of PPE. The overserved spatial and temporal patterns allow us to draw inferences on human behavior.

scholarly journals ECO-DESIGN ACTIONS TO IMPROVE LIFE CYCLE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF FACE MASKS IN THE PANDEMIC ERA

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1333-1342
Author(s):  
Núria Boix Rodríguez ◽  
Marco Marconi ◽  
Claudio Favi ◽  
Giovanni Formentini
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Near Future

AbstractFace masks are currently considered essential devices that people must wear today and in the near future, until the COVID-19 pandemic will be completely defeated through specific medicines and vaccines. Such devices are generally made of thermoplastic polymers, as polypropylene and polyethylene and are single use products. Even if in this period the sanitary emergency must have the maximum priority, the world society should not completely forget the environmental problem that are causing more and more obvious climate changes with correlated damages to ecosystems and human health. Despite the well-known correlation among anti-COVID protective equipment (or more generally medical devices) and environmental issues, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and eco-design-based studies in this field is very scarce. The present study aims to derive the most important environmental criticalities of such products, by using LCA and product circularity indicators of five different common masks. The final aim is to provide eco-design guidelines, useful to design new face masks by preventing negative impact on the environment.

RESEARCH: Dry Heat Processing of Single-Use Respirators and Surgical Masks

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 410-416
Author(s):  
Joyce M. Hansen ◽  
Scott Weiss ◽  
Terra A. Kremer ◽  
Myrelis Aguilar ◽  
Gerald McDonnell
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Contamination ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Airborne Particles ◽  
Heat Processing ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Dry Heat ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
Single Use

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has challenged healthcare providers in maintaining the supply of critical personal protective equipment, including single-use respirators and surgical masks. Single-use respirators and surgical masks can reduce risks from the inhalation of airborne particles and microbial contamination. The recent high-volume demand for single-use respirators and surgical masks has resulted in many healthcare facilities considering processing to address critical shortages. The dry heat process of 80°C (176°F) for two hours (120 min) has been confirmed to be an appropriate method for single-use respirator and surgical mask processing.

scholarly journals Ultraviolet-C as a Viable Reprocessing Method for Disposable Masks and Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 801
Author(s):  
Talita Nicolau ◽  
Núbio Gomes Filho ◽  
Andrea Zille
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Multiple Methods ◽  
Ultraviolet C ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Uv C ◽  
New Strategies

In normal conditions, discarding single-use personal protective equipment after use is the rule for its users due to the possibility of being infected, particularly for masks and filtering facepiece respirators. When the demand for these protective tools is not satisfied by the companies supplying them, a scenario of shortages occurs, and new strategies must arise. One possible approach regards the disinfection of these pieces of equipment, but there are multiple methods. Analyzing these methods, Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) becomes an exciting option, given its germicidal capability. This paper aims to describe the state-of-the-art for UV-C sterilization in masks and filtering facepiece respirators. To achieve this goal, we adopted a systematic literature review in multiple databases added to a snowball method to make our sample as robust as possible and encompass a more significant number of studies. We found that UV-C’s germicidal capability is just as good as other sterilization methods. Combining this characteristic with other advantages makes UV-C sterilization desirable compared to other methods, despite its possible disadvantages.

scholarly journals Covid-19 and the N95 respirator shortage: Closing the gap

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 958-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Nogee ◽  
Anthony J. Tomassoni
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Closing The Gap

AbstractDue to extreme shortages of personal protective equipment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare workers will be forced to recycle protective masks intended for disposal after a single use. We propose investigating the use of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to sterilize masks of SARS-CoV-2 for safer reuse.

scholarly journals 3D Printing to Support the Shortage in Personal Protective Equipment Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostapha Tarfaoui ◽  
Mourad Nachtane ◽  
Ibrahim Goda ◽  
Yumna Qureshi ◽  
Hamza Benyahia
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Tract Infections

Currently, the emergence of a novel human coronavirus disease, named COVID-19, has become a great global public health concern causing severe respiratory tract infections in humans. Yet, there is no specific vaccine or treatment for this COVID-19 where anti-disease measures rely on preventing or slowing the transmission of infection from one person to another. In particularly, there is a growing effort to prevent or reduce transmission to frontline healthcare professionals. However, it is becoming an increasingly international concern respecting the shortage in the supply chain of critical single-use personal protective equipment (PPE). To that scope, we aim in the present work to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest 3D printing efforts against COVID-19, including professional additive manufacturing (AM) providers, makers and designers in the 3D printing community. Through this review paper, the response to several questions and inquiries regarding the following issues are addressed: technical factors connected with AM processes; recommendations for testing and characterizing medical devices that additively manufactured; AM materials that can be used for medical devices; biological concerns of final 3D printed medical parts, comprising biocompatibility, cleaning and sterility; and limitations of AM technology.

Study of Concretes Reinforced by Plastic Fibers Based on Local Materials

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 100-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adda Hadj Mostefa ◽  
Merdaci Slimane
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Flexural Strength ◽  
Bond Strength ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
Splitting Tensile Strength ◽  
Waste Plastic ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Local Materials

This work is carried out to investigate the performance of concrete reinforced with plastic fibers obtained locally (bottle waste as fiber). Bottle waste plastic was chosen because it is being thrown after single use and cause environmental problem. One way to recycle wasted bottles plastic is grinded into irregular fiber. Then, it was incorporate with the concrete and tests the performance of the concrete. The study was conducted using cylindrical and rectangular (cube) mold of concrete to investigate the performance of the concrete in term of mechanical properties. In this research, the mechanical properties that were measured are compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and flexural strength. The results revealed that the presence of plastic fiber in concrete will increase the concrete performance, as well as the concrete bond strength is improved and the cracks in the concrete decrease the use of fibers and reduce plastic waste.

scholarly journals Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Human Health

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxine Swee-Li Yee ◽  
Ling-Wei Hii ◽  
Chin King Looi ◽  
Wei-Meng Lim ◽  
Shew-Fung Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Systemic Exposure ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Domestic Appliances

Plastics have enormous impacts to every aspect of daily life including technology, medicine and treatments, and domestic appliances. Most of the used plastics are thrown away by consumers after a single use, which has become a huge environmental problem as they will end up in landfill, oceans and other waterways. These plastics are discarded in vast numbers each day, and the breaking down of the plastics from micro- to nano-sizes has led to worries about how toxic these plastics are to the environment and humans. While, there are several earlier studies reported the effects of micro- and nano-plastics have on the environment, there is scant research into their impact on the human body at subcellular or molecular levels. In particular, the potential of how nano-plastics move through the gut, lungs and skin epithelia in causing systemic exposure has not been examined thoroughly. This review explores thoroughly on how nanoplastics are created, how they behave/breakdown within the environment, levels of toxicity and pollution of these nanoplastics, and the possible health impacts on humans, as well as suggestions for additional research. This paper aims to inspire future studies into core elements of micro- and nano-plastics, the biological reactions caused by their specific and unusual qualities.

scholarly journals A Predictive Model of the Temperature-Dependent Inactivation of Coronaviruses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Te Faye Yap ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Rachel A. Shveda ◽  
Daniel Preston
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Dependent Inactivation ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Thermal Sterilization ◽  
Uncertain Future ◽  
Risk Infection

The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed healthcare systems and supply lines, forcing medical doctors to risk infection by decontaminating and reusing medical personal protective equipment intended only for a single use. The uncertain future of the pandemic is compounded by limited data on the ability of the responsible virus, SARS-CoV-2, to survive across various climates, preventing epidemiologists from accurately modeling its spread. However, a detailed thermodynamic analysis of experimental data on the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses can enable a fundamental understanding of their thermal degradation that will help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks. This paper introduces a thermodynamic model that synthesizes existing data into an analytical framework built on first principles, including the Arrhenius equation and the rate law, to accurately predict the temperature-dependent inactivation of coronaviruses. The model provides much-needed thermal sterilization guidelines for personal protective equipment, including masks, and will also allow epidemiologists to incorporate the lifetime of SARS-CoV-2 as a continuous function of environmental temperature into models forecasting the spread of coronaviruses across different climates and seasons.

scholarly journals A Predictive Model of the Temperature-Dependent Inactivation of Coronaviruses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Te Faye Yap ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Rachel A. Shveda ◽  
Daniel Preston
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Virus Concentration ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Dependent Inactivation ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Uncertain Future ◽  
Thermal Decontamination

The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed healthcare systems and supply lines, forcing medical doctors to risk infection by decontaminating and reusing single-use medical personal protective equipment. The uncertain future of the pandemic is compounded by limited data on the ability of the responsible virus, SARS-CoV-2, to survive across various climates, preventing epidemiologists from accurately modeling its spread. However, a detailed thermodynamic analysis of experimental data on the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses can enable a fundamental understanding of their thermal degradation that will help model the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate future outbreaks. This paper introduces a thermodynamic model that synthesizes existing data into an analytical framework built on first principles, including the rate law and the Arrhenius equation, to accurately predict the temperature-dependent inactivation of coronaviruses. The model provides much-needed thermal decontamination guidelines for personal protective equipment, including masks. For example, at 70 °C, a 3-log (99.9%) reduction in virus concentration can be achieved in ≈ 3 minutes and can be performed in most home ovens without reducing the efficacy of typical N95 masks. The model will also allow for epidemiologists to incorporate the lifetime of SARS-CoV-2 as a continuous function of environmental temperature into models forecasting the spread of coronaviruses across different climates and seasons.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Generated Personal Protective Equipment: Sources of Microplastics and Pathogen Vectors in Marine Environments?

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Abu Noman ◽  
Jun Sun ◽  
Mohammad Belal Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Environmental Contamination ◽  
The Other ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Pathogenic Viruses ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

The world has already experienced the severe adverse effects of COVID-19 at every level. When it became understood that the COVID-19 infection is spread in the community via respiratory transmission from humans, then the widespread use of plastic-made personal protective equipments (PPEs) like face masks and hand gloves tremendously increased throughout the world. Although it has reduced the spreading of virus, however, careless disposal or mismanagement of these single use PPEs has created another major concern for the environment, as plastics are a known source of environmental contamination. On one hand, they are infected with SARS-CoV-2, while on the other, they act as a carrier or vector or pathway for other pathogens or diseases, and hence can increase the degree of continuing the pandemic. Besides, there might be a chance that plastics or microplastics may be responsible for introducing new pathogenic viruses or bacteria to humankind. As such, it is clear that more research needs to be conducted to clarify this fact, and its underlying mechanisms. In this review, we briefly explored how PPE used in the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated existing microplastic pollution, how they could act as disease routes or vectors, and how they could introduce new pathogens to the terrestrial and marine environment. Addressing these questions may create awareness of plastic use, waste management, and enact relevant policy which may protect our environment and health.

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