The Vast Waste From Hospitals After The Pandemic

The result of COVID-19 has led to various destructions in every country. One of them includes harmful by-products released from healthcare facilities, which, in turn, cause harm to the environment as well as individuals. However, the effects of the pandemic are more extreme in low-income countries.

The Effect of COVID-19

Due to the use of test kits, syringes, masks, vaccine bottles, and more, the world has been directed into another global crisis as more medical waste piles up rapidly. Before the pandemic, numerous countries already find it hard to handle their medical waste, which makes it a major problem now for them. It got worse for countries that cannot afford to split their waste during sterilization and recycling.

Discarding the waste inappropriately could lead to health and environmental risks due to exposure to polluted air from burning waste, landfills that are poorly controlled, drinking polluted water, potentially risky microorganisms, and more.

Furthermore, since some countries do not have access to high-quality machinery, they tend to use poorly-made incinerators, which emit toxic substances into the environment. Unfortunately, other carcinogenic chemicals like dioxins and furans were located in chicken eggs, therefore, causing harm to anyone who consumes them.

Segregation of healthcare waste is essential and that’s why most countries are making an effort to split their waste. In addition, numerous specialists advise healthcare facilities to use autoclaving machines, which use steam to sterilize healthcare waste, thereby allowing simple recycling.

Conclusion

Since COVID-19 has caused a lot of mayhem and other problems, it is important for healthcare facilities to promote a healthy, safe, and clean environment by eradicating waste.