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Environmental pollution, the other side of the pandemic
Environmental pollution is another of the harmful effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it. Since 2020, it is clear that the percentage of toxic health care waste has doubled exponentially.
It is not only a factor that severely damages the environment, but also affects public health. Although it may not seem like it, various concomitant diseases can appear.
World Health Organization: warnings about "pandemic waste"
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement about the worrying health care waste left by the pandemic. A huge public health problem that endangers both human lives and the planet's flora and fauna.
According to the information base of the main international health entity, between 2020 and 2021 plastic waste reached alarming figures. More than 85,000 tons of garbage were estimated and related to the scope of COVID-19.
As you can imagine, the main products are biosafety masks and surgical gloves. Debris that even fills the ocean in its entirety, inflicting greater damage on aquatic fauna.
All this without counting more than 730,000 liters of chemical content in liquid form. Remains that are thrown into common landfills whose final influx is the sea. Nor are the 144,000 tons of garbage associated with syringes, needles and security containers added.
Health consequences of exposure to medical waste
Both the United Nations (UN) and the WHO recognized a failed strategy for managing the pandemic on its other face.
Beyond the rapid response against the prevention of the disease, they left aside the point of cleaning. Although they were involved in providing biosafety equipment in accordance with the virus, they did not provide protective material for the mobilization of medical waste.
It is expected that 30% of public health establishments do not have safety suits for their staff. In this way, they are not able to maneuver the enormous accumulation of toxic or chemical remains, a product of the pandemic.
A digit that does not compare with the 60% inefficiency in that section in less developed countries. Places where, obviously, the exposure to the consequences is much greater. Therefore, it is convenient to review which are the most feared:
Injuries due to sharp objects
Sharp objects, in the health field, emphasize needles, scalpels, lancets, among others. If the person disposing of them is not well protected, they run the risk of being affected with a percutaneous injury.
This class of products is for single use for each patient in which it is applied. Once they fulfill their function, they are immediately thrown away in their specific container.
In general, they are entities that can not only cause serious trauma, but also transmit infectious diseases. From HIV or AIDS, to hepatitis, psoriasis, and a long etcetera.
Burns
Burns are that type of traumatic injury that causes both local and systemic complications. In case you did not know, the skin is not the only one involved when it comes to the damage caused by them.
If proper equipment is not worn, exposure to toxic waste or caustic chemicals is a potential hazard. They are capable of causing significant burns, even of the highest degree possible.
In the long term, irreversible damage to skin tissues is an almost fatal consequence. The establishment of generalized edema, hypotension and other concomitants, come together to lead the patient to death.
Pathogenic microorganisms
It is common for pathogenic microorganisms to invade sanitary waste. For handling, the person has specialized gloves added to a special biosafety suit. Otherwise, getting infected with any of these agents is an almost absolute certainty.
From this perspective, it is an ideal saprophytic environment for bacterial growth mainly. However, garbage is not exempt from acquiring protozoa, fungi and even the prevalence of certain viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 itself.
Affectation of landfills and nearby soils
The bad strategy in the elimination of these remains promotes the contamination of common landfills and soils near residual populations.
Over time, the toxic matter combines with both the water and the soil, causing considerable environmental deterioration. Likewise, the food harvested and the liquids consumed describe a high probability of being contaminated.
If the intake is prolonged, the risk of poisoning by harmful chemical residues is immense. It results in serious organic failure that, if not modulated as an emergency, causes death in a few moments.
Pest diseases
Poor management of landfills with sanitary waste promotes a perfect habitat for the cultivation of pests. Insects, rodents and various species potentially able to transmit zoonotic diseases.
The most feared of all is leptospirosis or, in another category, salmonella. At the same time, it is worth mentioning some less common ones such as toxoplasmosis or hentavirus infections.
As an additive, it is proven that respiratory problems such as asthma or bronchiolitis are linked to an allergic factor from insects. A diatribe that weakens the ventilatory system, making it more prone to serious consequences of COVID-19, if the case arises.
As if that were not enough, Chagas disease or trypanomiasis is another pathology that cannot be forgotten. In conjunction with the affections of the intestinal tract by parasites, it is also quite common in general.
An increasingly difficult scenario to dismantle
Having exposed the consequences in humans, it is just as prudent to highlight those related to the environment. Sanitary waste from the pandemic deliberately increased the inconvenience of humanity and pollution.
In 2020, around 1.5 billion surgical masks were dumped into the ocean. This ecological disaster caused the serious loss of up to 100,000 mammals in various species.
Although the UN and the WHO are already working on a strategic plan, the scenario is difficult to dismantle. The enormous amount of accumulated tons of health waste is almost impossible to solve with basic human resources.
The same UN predicts that between 70 to 75 percent of the plastic used for biosafety materials will end up in the seas. A digit that would aggravate the horizon in matters of climate change as such.
At the moment, campaigns for the promotion and use of reusable masks are in process. However, it does not seem like a transcendental or useful measure. If there is no greater joint effort, the harmonic balance between nature and humanity could be broken.
