Measures Against Disposable Masks: A Potential Source of Environmental and Biological Pollution

Abstract

Contaminated disposable masks are potential hazards to the hygiene and environment. There is increased demand, and in turn, the production of PPEs and masks has also scaled up. But due to the lack of awareness and integrated strategy for the proper disposal of these masks they might be a cause of rising health and environmental issues in the upcoming time. People lack awareness regarding the number of times each mask can be used, how to sanitize and reuse the mask, and the proper disposal of a contaminated mask. In addition, the concerned authorities lack efficient strategies to diminish the use of non-biodegradable material to minimize plastic waste, creating awareness among people to dispose of the masks properly and design efficient strategies to cope with the plastic waste. Due to which these COVID-19 masks can be a potential source of the spread of the virus and increase of plastic waste. This is a review article pertaining to details from the recent researches and articles in regards to the prevalent issues and solutions in respect of the current pandemic. The best approach is to educate the masses to reduce contaminated waste along with proper decontamination and disposal of dreg.