Plastic menace: Experts stress the need to reuse components of PPEs

Mangaluru: There is a growing concern over the surging plastic waste, thanks to the increasing use of PPEs like gowns, aprons, face-shield, goggles, shoe covers, masks and gloves by healthcare workers.
Speaking on the issue, Dr Indrani Karunasagar, director of Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research, said with Covid-19 cases expected to rise further, plastic in the form of PPEs and other medical equipment are important for protecting the frontline workers. “International organisations like WHO have come out with guidelines for the rational use of PPEs. We need to look at how much plastic waste we are generating during the pandemic, and how are we managing this hazard. The need of the hour is to reuse certain components of PPEs like goggles, aprons, masks and gloves after disinfecting them in sodium hypochlorite.”.
According to senior international food safety consultant Dr Iddya Karunasagar, even the general public are using plastic gloves, face-shields, single-use masks wrapped individually in plastic. “Think of the plastic waste being generated even as Covid-19 cases are rising. As the resources are scarce, the Washington State Department of Health has suggested extended and reuse of PPEs by healthcare personnel. With growing demand for gowns, gloves and masks, there is also the fear of poor-quality products being pushed into the market,” he said.