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Biomedical Waste

By Ben D’Orazi and Shea Cantrell

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Research Goals

Our goals for this research project are to find out:

The Need For Plastics Today

The need for plastic products in America and around the world, has increased dramatically, by around 190 Metric Tonnes. There is a need for safety equipment like masks, needles, and gloves.
These items have been considered biohazards by the medical industry and need to be treated properly. Since the dramatic increase of these products, there has been a back-up for waste disposal.

Trash Fires and their long term effects

The added waste due to the need of safety equipment has sparked (hah get it) the need for Waste Fires to compensate for the back-up of plastic waste.
These waste fires are burning the plastics which put significant amount of pollutants into the air “such as hydrochloric acid, sulfur dioxide, dioxins, furans and heavy metals, as well as particulates.”
These pollutants may have a long term effect on the air pollution in the local areas of these fires, which will affect the environment, animals, and other humans.

Water Pollution

A consequence of the increased amount of biomedical waste caused by the pandemic is an increased risk of water pollution all over the world.
The main problem is that masks are a source of microplastics. Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that enter waterways and act as vectors for harmful chemicals, and animals and people unknowingly consume water containing these microplastics, leading to disease and death.

Consequences of Covid in the Wild

Coronavirus can survive for a period of time in the wild, specifically “it is reported that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can exist a day on cardboard, and up to 3 days on plastics and stainless steel”
Covid-19 is uniquely dangerous due to the fact that it “is both a zoonosis and a reverse zoonosis”, meaning that the disease can infect humans via animals and vice-versa. This ability to bounce between hosts gives the virus the ability to rapidly mutate if it is not properly contained.

Conclusions

The conclusions that we have reached from our research show that:

Biomedical waste in the environment will lead to damage in waterways due to microplastic pollution. Furthermore, if biomedical waste is not properly managed, the Coronavirus will likely mutate in unexpected ways.
Plastic consumption and production has increased drastically, leading to more plastic pollution.
The increased need for medical supplies and plastic-based products is a cause for increased pollution.
If we do not reduce waste production then we are facing long term damage to the environment, and possible coronavirus mutation.

Sources