A joint study by US and Chinese experts estimates that 25,000 tons of cod masks and gloves have been dumped into the sea since the onset of the Covid 19 global epidemic by August 2021.
The study, conducted by experts from Nanjing University in China and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the United States, looked at the additional production of protective masks and gloves and the plastics used in them during the Covid 19 global epidemic.
It should be noted that every year about 8.3 million tons of plastic waste reaches the oceans, which poses a serious threat to the animals and plants living in the sea.
The mass production of protective masks and gloves during the World War IV epidemic also led to an increase in the use of different types of plastics.
Garbage from used masks and gloves is dumped here and there, much of which passes through rivers and streams and eventually reaches the sea.
Experts fear that over the next three to four years, most of this waste will accumulate on remote beaches and seabed, further exacerbating the problem of marine pollution.
Surprisingly, the study found that 73% of the plastic waste in the Quid 19 epidemic reached the seas from Asian countries that were relatively less affected by the epidemic.
Most of this waste reached the East China Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea, via the Yangtze River, the Shatt Al Arab, and the Indus.
European rivers came in second, accounting for 11%.
Experts were also concerned that the Covid 19 epidemic produced more plastic waste from hospitals that were already having serious problems with proper disposal of medical waste.
In the light of their research, experts say that it is important to dispose of used masks and gloves properly before they reach the sea, as these dusts are contaminated with germs and viruses in addition to the soil, so any new and unknown Can pose an environmental hazard.
Note: Details of this study are published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences website.
