The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that waste Covid-19 medical equipment poses health risks. The organization called on countries to be more systematic in the disposal of used materials.
In the fight against Covid-19, many products such as needles and syringes are used to make vaccines with a large number of personal protective materials.
A new global study by WHO has revealed that the health wastes from these products have the potential to be dangerous. Maggi Montgomery, the WHO Environmental Unit’s official responsible for water, hygiene and health, said that Covid-19 increased the health risk in medical facilities by 10 percent compared to the past.
‘Healthcare workers at risk’
“If you consider that two out of every three healthcare facilities in LDCs did not have systems to separate or safely process waste before the pandemic, you can imagine how much of a burden these additional wastes put on healthcare workers and the public, especially where they are incinerated,” Montgomery said.
The risky disposal of used Covid-19 materials exposes healthcare workers to the risk of needle sticks, burns, disease-causing microorganisms, air pollution, and other hazards from living near poorly managed landfills and waste treatment plants, the report said.
Through a joint United Nations emergency initiative, WHO experts examined approximately 87,000 tons of personal protective equipment shipped to countries in need between March 2020 and November 2021. Most of these materials were found to be garbage.
The report presents the first case of the extent of the Covid-19 waste problem only within the very large sector of healthcare. Montgomery says the study did not focus on the larger society’s waste generation volume.
”People produce the most protective material waste”
Montgomery pointed out that waste produced by the public, especially masks, occupies a large place in Covid-19 waste. The WHO official said, “For example, 4.5 trillion disposable masks were thrown away in 2020. This created six million tons of additional waste. In other words, the public produces the most waste,” he said.
However, the expert also noted that the health sector has an important role and they think that many concrete steps can be taken to prevent unnecessary consumption of personal protective materials.
WHO’s safer and more environmentally friendly sustainable waste practices include eco-packaging and shipping, safe and reusable gloves, surgical masks and non-incineration waste treatment technologies.