The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated plastic pollution globally through high use of disposable personal protective equipment including PPE, masks and gloves.
The attached article from the British Medical Journal reveals that in the UK, some 2.3 billion items of single use PPE were distributed to health and social care services between February and July 2020.
While a percentage of single use PPE is disposed via incineration, the virus has periodically overwhelmed traditional waste management systems, with many used PPE items diverted to landfill.
Why does this matter? Plastic pollution contributes to injury to wildlife through ingestion and toxicity to ecosystems. Microplastics are harmful to aquatic organisms and can adversely affect our health when they enter our food chain.
There is a better way. The #VIPERType4 is a reusable all-in-one PPE garment offering protection against contaminated liquids, aerosol particulates, blood and blood borne pathogens, and viruses such as #COVID19. The garment can be safely laundered 30 times, directly reducing the burden on landfill.
Safe for you and safe for the environment.
Read more: https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/372/bmj.n109.full.pdf
