Journal Article

Escalating SARS-CoV-2 circulation in environment and tracking waste management in South Asia

Ferdous, Jinnat, Hassan, Mohammad Mahmudul, Rahman, Md. Kaisar, Islam, Shariful, Choudhury, Shusmita Dutta, Shano, Shahanaj, Kalam, Md. Abul, Islam, Ariful, Sayeed, Md. Abu

2021

Overview

The novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused an exceptional drift of production, utilization, and disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE) and different microplastic objects for safety against the virus. Hence, we reviewed related literature on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA detected from household, biomedical waste, and sewage to identify possible health risks and status of existing laws, regulations, and policies regarding waste disposal in South Asian (SA) countries. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in sewage and wastewater samples of Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Besides, this review reiterates the enormous amounts of PPE and other single-use plastic wastes generated from healthcare facilities and households in the SA region with inappropriate disposal, landfilling, and/or incineration techniques wind-up polluting the environment. Consequently, the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in sewer treatment plant in India. Moreover, the overuse of non-biodegradable plastics during the pandemic is deteriorating plastic pollution condition and causes a substantial health risk to the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We recommend making necessary adjustments, adopting measures and strategies, and enforcement of the existing biomedical waste management and sanitation-related policy in SA countries. We propose to adopt the knowledge gaps to improve COVID-19-associated waste management and legislation to prevent further environmental pollution. Besides, the citizens should follow proper disposal procedures of COVID-19 waste to control the environmental pollution.

• Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Aquatic ecosystems / Aquatic Pollution / Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution / Bangladesh / Biodegradability / Biodegradation / Bioplastics / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / COVID-19 infection / Earth and Environmental Science / Ecosystem / Ecotoxicology / Environment / Environmental Chemistry / Environmental Health / Environmental legislation / Environmental science / Health care / Health care facilities / Health risks / health services / Households / Humans / Incineration / India / issues and policy / Landfills / laws and regulations / Legislation / Medical wastes / Microplastics / Nepal / Pakistan / pandemic / Pandemics / Personal protective equipment / Plastic debris / Plastic pollution / Plastics / Pollution / Pollution control / Protective equipment / Review / Review Article / risk / RNA / RNA, Viral / safety equipment / Sanitation / SARS-CoV-2 / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Sewage / Sewage treatment plants / Viral diseases / viruses / Waste disposal / Waste Management / Waste Water Technology / Wastewater / Wastewater treatment plants / Water Management / Water Pollution Control