"...face masks: an environmental disaster..."
-The Conversation
COVID-19 has exposed just how much disposable plastic waste is produced by the medical industry and personal protection, waste alone increased over 9000%. However, climate change, wildfires, and future healthcare needs all require high air filtration efficiency materials for personal protection. Only a fraction of this waste needs to be improperly disposed to end up in the ocean and soil, where the plastic can shed into micro- and nano-plastics.
Even when they are landfilled, disposable masks can take hundreds of years for them to decompose. In addition, as these plastics are petroleum based, increased usage of masks and filters continues to be a significant source of carbon emissions in the healthcare industry.
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