Environmental and human health impact of single-use plastic-made personal protective equipment used to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2

The novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has wreaked havoc throughout the world, affecting nearly every country. Several countries are currently battling the virus's second or third wave, which is wreaking havoc far worse than the first. A variety of plastic-based personal protective equipment (PPE) was instrumental in protecting people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day, a significant amount of single-use PPE including masks, gloves, protective aprons, face shields, safety glasses, sanitiser containers, plastic shoes, and medical gowns (made primarily of polypropylene) is discarded by health care workers and the general public. While this personal protective equipment is lowering the spread of SARS-CoV2, the lacking of sustainable management possesses a serious threat to public health and the environment. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus can survive in discarded medical waste for up to 168 hours, likely, the medical waste originating from hospitals, clinics, medical centres, home isolation, and quarantine facilities where the infected individual is getting treatment could spread and increase the infectivity of the virus. Therefore, this paper discusses the environmental and human health consequences of single-use personal protective equipment used to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2.