Global plastic emissions could reach 53 million tons in the future, 6.6 times the UN standard of 8 million tons, according to a new study from Science. The (PPE) waste of disposable medical protective equipment produced during COVID-19 ‘s epidemic situation has further aggravated the current pollution situation.
How to solve the problem of plastic pollution? The researchers believe that the transformation of the global plastics industry is the only way to achieve the goal of plastic cleaning. This paper mainly introduces the impact of plastic disposable PPE on the environment and its substitutes.
What is PPE?
Wikipedia’s explanation is: protective clothing, helmets, goggles and other devices and equipment used to protect the wearer from trauma or infection.
During COVID-19 ‘s period, the most common disposable plastic medical protective equipment were aprons, gloves, shoe covers and so on.
Why is PPE so important?
Let’s imagine that in a room full of COVID-19 patients, the risk of contracting the virus is very high. So at this time, doctors and nurses need personal protective equipment to protect themselves. Only by ensuring their health can they help more patients recover as soon as possible.
During the period of COVID-19, in order to quickly distinguish whether COVID-19 was infected or not. The Chinese police, the staff of the quarantine area, the staff of airports and stations, and the security personnel of the community or company all need to check the temperature of people entering and leaving the country, so it is also necessary to wear PPE. Only by protecting ourselves can we make an extra contribution to this society.
Therefore, personal protective equipment plays a key role in the virus pandemic or hospital infection department.
What do you usually do with discarded personal protective equipment?
We all know that disposable protective equipment cannot be recycled, and the most effective way to dispose of discarded personal protective equipment is incineration.
These disposable protective equipment are mainly made of plastic, burning plastics will not only release a large amount of toxic gases, resulting in air pollution. Heavy metals will also be released in the process of degradation, polluting water.
So is there any new material that can replace disposable plastic personal protective equipment?
Polyvinyl alcohol film has the characteristics of isolating viruses and bacteria. Water-soluble laundry bags are made of polyvinyl alcohol film and are widely used in hospitals to collect infected clothes and bed sheets.
Polyemat is a professional R&D, production, and sales of PVA particles and products manufacturers.
Can polyvinyl alcohol film be made into disposable protective aprons and gloves?
Definitely yes, the following are disposable gloves and aprons made of 65℃ water-soluble film.
What are the advantages of PVA gloves and aprons:
1.PVA gloves and aprons have the characteristics of isolating bacteria and viruses from the air.
2.PVA gloves and aprons are soluble in water, and the aqueous solution can be sterilized by high temperature treatment. And the aqueous solution will eventually be broken down by microbes into carbon dioxide and water.
So PVA gloves and aprons are a good alternative to disposable plastic protective equipment.
If you are interested in this solution, please contact us for the latest quotation or tailor-made proposal.
