Non-biodegradable plastics are being manufactured in the form of disposable and non-disposable items in COVID-19 quarantine centres, isolation areas and even homes on a day to day basis. The unsuspecting health workers and patients are using it without knowing the long term effects of this bio-medical plastic pollution. Let us understand what are microplastics and how they have entered our environment.
Crux of the Matter
What Are Microplastics? Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic that are less than 5 mm (0.2 inches) in length and exist in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. From cosmetics to synthetic clothing to plastic bags and bottles, they are present in various daily use products.
What’s The Big Deal? These materials are non-biodegradable, so once they enter the natural environment, they accumulate and persist in their primary form like microfibers and secondary forms, made of larger plastic degradations.
The invisible threat to the oceans : Micro-plastics, Source: Phys Org
As per findings by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), annual plastic pollution in oceans, was estimated at 4 million to 14 million tons in the early 21st century. Additionally, microplastics are a source of air pollution, that occurs in dust and airborne fibrous particles.
Subsequently came Bakelite, which was the first synthetic plastic, that could be derived from fossil fuels and not plants or animals. Baekeland, its inventor, used phenol, an acid derived from coal tar, and made the gateway for modern synthetic plastics – polystyrene in 1929, polyester in 1930, polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polythene in 1933, nylon in 1935.
Marine Animals, Unwilling Distributors Of Plastic? According to research done by NUS, scientists have retrieved toxic bacteria on microplastics, found in tropical waters. When these tiny pieces are ingested by marine organisms, they tend to accumulate and be transferred up the food chain.
Bleaching makes the corals tensed and white but not dead, Source: Ocean Service
These bacteria are capable of causing coral bleaching that occurs when coral polyps expel algae that live inside them. Additionally, they trigger wound infections in humans.
Rising Biomedical Waste In Times Of COVID-19 The hospital waste that is generated during testing and research purposes of the ongoing pandemic contains toxic materials that can be dangerous for the environment and leave long-lasting impacts, outlasting the pandemic itself.
Spotlight Op-Ed: Covid-19: Unpacking the risk from waste https://t.co/KePF34bjcc — Daily Maverick (@dailymaverick) July 9, 2020
This includes medical origin waste like bandages, gloves, packaging material, kits, needles, and laboratory waste that contains hazardous biomolecules, infectious organisms, and radioactive materials.
A huge hospital can generate approx. 2200 kg of waste in a day
Shift Towards Compostable Plastics? Manufacturers can make a shift towards the next generation of eco-friendly ‘Compostable’ Plastics. They are created from renewable materials and break down through composting.
Since they are derived from renewable materials like corn, potato, cellulose, soy protein, and lactic acid, compostables are non-toxic and decompose back into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. They are different from the conventional bio-based plastics and hybrids that contain fossil fuels.
Segregation of Plastics In such dire times of need, we need to dispose waste in a more responsible way. Recently the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) highlighted detailed guidelines about the handling of COVID-19 waste. State-level municipal corporations are now spreading the word through social media campaigns.
In Mumbai, the main waste is being segregated in the form of Dry (Blue), Wet (Green), and Hazardous(Red and Yellow, depending on the severity). The latter is transported to the Deonar facility, sprayed with disinfectant and burnt immediately.
Curiopedia
The term “microplastics” was introduced in 2004 by Professor Richard Thompson, a marine biologist at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom. Thompson’s paper, Lost at Sea: Where is All the Plastic?, published in the journal Science in 2004, was the first to use the term microplastics, which has since become common parlance.
The Great Pacific garbage patch, also described as the Pacific trash vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the north-central Pacific Ocean. The patch is actually “two enormous masses of ever-growing garbage.”
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-government engineering environmental organization based in the Netherlands, that develops technology to extract plastic pollution from the oceans. It was founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, a Dutch-born inventor-entrepreneur of Croatian origin who serves as its CEO.
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