The Study Was Published in a Specialized International Scientific Journal.. Two Students at UoB Discuss the Environmental Effects of Corona

Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Yasmeen Khalaf)

23 November 2021

The specialized international scientific journal (Reviews on Environment Health) recently published a field scientific study that was conducted at the University of Bahrain (UoB), which discussed the problem of plastic waste resulting from the Corona pandemic (Covid-19), and its negative impact on the environment, focusing on strategies and possible solutions, to reduce and mitigate its damage and accumulations.

The study recommended several strategies to mitigate the risks of plastic waste resulting from the Corona pandemic, and that is through: increasing societal awareness of the damages associated with the frequent use of single-use plastic materials, and trying to develop and improve behavioral and institutional changes towards such waste.

The study, titled: “Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Plastic Waste During the COVID-19 Outbreak and Integrated Strategies for Its Control and Mitigation,” was conducted by the two students in the postgraduate program in Environment and Sustainable Development at the College of Science at UoB: Shahera Sa’ad Al-Qahtani and Fatima Ali Al-Waheeb, under the supervision of Associate Professor in the Physics Department, Dr. Hassan Manea, Assistant Professor in the Physics Department, Dr. Adnan Younes, from the Physics Department, and Assistant Professor in the Physics Department, Dr. Shamma Sahar, from the College of Science at UoB.

Moreover, the study urged the use of bioplastics, which is a sustainable and environmentally friendly option, replacing plastic bags and face masks with cloth bags and masks, recycling plastic materials by chemical treatment to transform waste into useful materials, or sterilizing these plastic wastes with treated heat and ultraviolet rays to reuse them.

Also, the study suggested reinforcing laws and legislation to reduce the consumption of plastic bags and bottles, supporting plastic waste management and recycling projects, and creating investment opportunities related to this aspect. As well as the importance of continuing media efforts to raise awareness of individuals, companies, and institutions to address this environmental problem and contribute to reducing its health and environmental effects.

As the study showed the impact of the accumulation of plastic waste on the biological system and public health, while revealing the sources of such waste, confirming the increase in the waste of delivery services and electronic shopping during the spread of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19), and pointing to the increase in the use of food delivery boxes and supermarket bags, in addition to the increase in the amount of plastic medical waste, the most important of which are: sterilizers, medicine boxes, and personal protective equipment represented by gloves, face masks, other single-use plastic items and others, whose use has increased to prevent the risk of transmission and spread of the Corona virus.

Furthermore, the study indicated the inefficient management of plastic waste, indicating that face masks, which were about 1.56 billion used masks in 2020, ended up in estuaries and seas, either directly or indirectly, which puts the aquatic environment to the risk of pollution.

The study indicated that one of the reasons for the high mortality rates of marine animals is the ingestion of small plastic pieces with sharp edges while feeding, or due to their legs or some parts of their body intertwining with the threads of face masks and plastic bags, which impedes or paralyzes their movement. Not to mention the chemicals associated with plastic materials such as: polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene, which cause poisoning and damage the metabolism and enzyme activity of marine animals.

Additionally, the study indicated the negative impact of plastic waste on the local and global economies during the spread of the pandemic, explaining that with the increase in waste, the costs of removing and recycling plastic waste increased. In addition to the decline in activity in the seafood market, as a result of fish contamination with microplastics, which lead to fish being poisoned with chemicals, and eventually reducing their consumer demand. With reference to the deterioration of the economy of the coastal countries, including: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Ghana, Sri Lanka, and other countries whose economy depends on tourism, and on marine resources for their livelihoods.

Noting that Reviews on Environment Health is one of the international scientific journals with a high impact factor (IF = 3.5).

This research can be found through the website (https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0098)

Or by directly communicating with one of the researchers