‘World Using 129 B Disposable Masks, 65 B Gloves Monthly'

A study published in an environmental and scientific journal said the world is using an estimated 129 billion disposable masks and 65 billion disposable gloves monthly during the pandemic, environment group Greenpeace said.

- Rhodina Villanueva

The study that came out in “Environmental Science and Technology” found that not only has this led to widespread environmental contamination, it poses a significant public health risk as this waste serves as a vector for the virus.

“This poses a risk to public health, as waste is a vector for SARS-CoV-2 virus which survives up to three days on plastics, and there are also broad impacts to ecosystems and organisms,” the study said,

Greenpeace also pointed out that Metro Manila alone is poised to produce an additional 280 metric tons of infectious waste a day, equating to 16,800 tons in 60 days.