{"id":1264132,"date":"2022-02-02T08:39:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T13:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1264132"},"modified":"2022-02-02T08:39:22","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T13:39:22","slug":"w-h-o-surprised-dismayed-as-medical-waste-builds-across-the-globe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/w-h-o-surprised-dismayed-as-medical-waste-builds-across-the-globe\/","title":{"rendered":"W.H.O. Surprised, Dismayed as Medical Waste Builds Across the Globe"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fw-h-o-surprised-dismayed-as-medical-waste-builds-across-the-globe%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1264132&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) warned Tuesday the very personal protection equipment it pushed people to wear during the coronavirus pandemic, such as surgical masks and gowns, is having an unexpected impact on the environment.<\/p>\n<p>The W.H.O. announced in a report some \u201c87,000 tons\u201d of discarded Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) that was used between March 2020 to November 2021 has ended up discarded as waste.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Coronavirus vaccines have also contributed to a rise in medical waste with 143 tons of extra waste being created by the use of vaccines and needle boxes around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Margaret Montgomery, the W.H.O.\u2019s technical officer for water, sanitation and hygiene and an environmental engineer said the U.N. subsidiary has found people are currently \u201cwearing excessive PPE\u201d and so have updated their message so the public can \u201cbecome more of a conscious consumer\u201d.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19720362\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1237802562.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19720362\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1237802562-683x1024-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>A health worker carries medical waste for disposal at a government hospital in Kolkata on January 18, 2022. (DIBYANGSHU SARKAR\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dr Michael Ryan, the W.H.O.\u2019s emergencies chief, said \u201cit is absolutely vital to provide health workers with the right [protective gear], but it is also vital to ensure that it can be used safely without impacting on the surrounding environment\u201d,&nbsp;<em>AP&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/coronavirus-pandemic-health-environment-united-nations-world-health-organization-ffea9000b4a559ccc7c268126a4c0699\">reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>The W.H.O also published on their <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2022\/02\/1110982\">website<\/a> advice from&nbsp;Dr Anne Woolridge, the&nbsp;Chair of the Health Care\u202fWaste\u202fWorking Group, who in an apparent call for the end of overzealous mask mandates suggested, \u201csafe and rational use of PPE\u201d will \u201cnot only reduce environmental harm from\u202fwaste, it will also save money, reduce potential supply shortages and further support infection prevention by changing behaviours\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The World Health Organisation is not however planning to update their messaging on how governments should respond to coronavirus with&nbsp;Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying that nations who are saying the vaccine combined with omicron\u2019s lower severity than previous strains means it\u2019s no longer possible nor necessary to prevent transmission could not be \u201cfurther from the truth\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Tedros has maintained that \u201cit\u2019s premature for any country either to surrender or to declare victory\u201d.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">UK Shipping Millions of Pieces of PPE to EU Nations Despite Widespread Shortages <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yjGLFuVOZL\">https:\/\/t.co\/yjGLFuVOZL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1252915050685313024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 22, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The use of PPE and vaccines in the pandemic has had an overbearing effect on the developing world with data indicating that \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240039612\">1 in 3<\/a> healthcare facilities globally do not safely manage healthcare waste\u201d, with the number rising to \u201c60&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;in the least developed countries\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>This not only increases the amount of pollution and waste in these nations but also risks staff injury such as being exposed to dirty needles.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the pandemic, the world had moved to try and discourage the use of or ban \u201csingle-use\u201d plastics such as plastic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sunset.com\/home-garden\/green-living\/straw-ban-info-guide#:~:text=State%20of%20California&amp;text=Starting%20January%201%2C%202019%2C%20full,non%2Dfull%2Dservice%20restaurants.\">straws<\/a> or plastic carrier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/carrier-bag-charges-retailers-responsibilities\">bags,<\/a>&nbsp;which has prompted the W.H.O. to suggest the use of reusable PPE and also bio-degradable packaging.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19720402\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1235976317.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19720402\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1235976317-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Workers pile up waste at the Burangkeng landfill where most of the medical waste from Covid-19 hospital wards are collected, in Bekasi on October 19, 2021. (DASRIL ROSZANDI\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The vast majority of masks, are single-use and are made of&nbsp;multiple plastic fibres, primarily polypropylene, which makes them non-recyclable.&nbsp;It has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/environment\/article\/how-to-stop-discarded-face-masks-from-polluting-the-planet\">reported<\/a> that a single mask can release as many as 173,000 microfibers per day into the sea, which has a major effect on the surrounding wildlife.<\/p>\n<p>Approximately&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33655084\/\">3.4 billion<\/a> face masks are discarded every day, and due to their light and versatile&nbsp;nature, it is easy for masks to be blown into drains by the wind and end up in the sea or rivers and disrupt animal life there \u2013 masks have also been reported to have clogged sewer systems in large cities like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sunherald.com\/news\/nation-world\/national\/article242082061.html\">New York<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) warned Tuesday the very personal protection equipment it pushed people to wear during the coronavirus pandemic, such as surgical masks and gowns, is having an &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1264132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1264132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1264132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1264132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1264132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1264132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1264132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}