Mvovo Iviwe, Magagula Hezekiel B
Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Fort Hare, King Williams Town Road, Private Bag X1314, Alice, 5700 South Africa.
Environ Syst Decis. 2022;42(3):328-337. doi: 10.1007/s10669-022-09851-5. Epub 2022 Mar 23.
The use and undesignated disposal of COVID-19 related personal protective equipments (PPEs) has resulted in a spike in the global mismanagement of plastic waste. Moreover, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has not only affected the socio-economic state of the world but is contributing significantly to the already existing aquatic pollution dilemma. Consequently, PPE litter is an emerging pollutant in aquatic ecosystems that warrants significant attention. This review endeavoured to present a synopsis of the global mismanagement of PPE waste and highlight the devastating ramifications of the ensuing environment. The paper reveals that PPE litter is indeed negatively impacting environmental systems on varying levels around the globe. Furthermore, peak plastic loads are transported by Asian rivers and are deposited into the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Beaches and seabed are the major sinks of COVID-19 PPE litter making benthic organisms to be the most vulnerable. More studies need to be undertaken to monitor aquatic resources to get a detailed overview of COVID-19 PPE litter in the environment.
新冠疫情相关个人防护装备（PPE）的使用及随意丢弃导致全球塑料垃圾管理不善的情况激增。此外，新冠疫情不仅影响了全球的社会经济状况，还对已存在的水体污染困境造成了重大影响。因此，个人防护装备垃圾是水生生态系统中一种新兴污染物，值得高度关注。本综述旨在概述全球个人防护装备垃圾管理不善的情况，并强调由此引发的环境破坏后果。该论文表明，个人防护装备垃圾确实在全球不同层面上对环境系统产生负面影响。此外，亚洲河流输送了大量塑料垃圾，并将其沉积到太平洋和印度洋。海滩和海床是新冠疫情个人防护装备垃圾的主要归宿，这使得底栖生物最为脆弱。需要开展更多研究来监测水生资源，以详细了解环境中新冠疫情个人防护装备垃圾的情况。
