A critical review of personal protective equipments in relation to pandemics

Abstract

PurposePersonal Protective Equipment plays an inevitable part in the current scenario of pandemics in the world. A novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-2 (SARS-Cov 2), began as an outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019, and quickly spread worldwide. It quickly escalated into an international public health crisis. This opened up the high demand for the innovation and research of new materials in the Personal Protective Equipment industry.Design/methodology/approachPubMed, Embase and Google Scholar were searched for relevant literature regarding personal protective equipment and the information was organized in a systematic way.FindingsThere are no adequate number of studies taken up in the field of use of textiles in medical applications especially with PPEs.Research limitations/implicationsThis structured review will generate a sense of the significance of using PPE for controlling pandemics and also awaken need for additional research and innovations in this area.Practical implicationsThe authorities of the management should take timely intervention in choosing the right material for their PPE in their hospitals. Hence health care professionals teams have an inevitable role in preventing the adverse environmental impact due to the inadvertent disposal of PPEs.Social implicationsThere is a lack of systematic way of disposing contaminated single-use face masks in a safe, environmentally acceptable manner. The dumping of single-use PPE in domestic garbage has had an adverse effect on the environment. Mismanaged plastic waste endangers the health of ecosystems by polluting marine and terrestrial environments, posing a significant risk of ingestion or injury to animals and contaminating habitats.Originality/valueThis review article provides an in-depth review of the use of different materials in PPE and challenges regarding its long-term use and implications on the environment.