Impact of Microplastics Generated from Covid Biomedical Waste on Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems

There was an unprecedented upsurge in the use of protective equipment (PPEs) and other medical appliances during the Covid-19 pandemic as a result of which the amount of biomedical waste generated by hospitals increased manifold. Since majority of these PPEs and appliances are made up of plastic polymers, their unscientific disposal could be a major cause for generation of microplastics (MPs) with far reaching environmental consequences. Imposition of lockdowns as preventive measure too saw a sharp rise in the use of plastic containers and packaging materials majority of which were dumped in open and not recycled. A bulk of the MPs are not only ecotoxic, these have high affinity for other environmental contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides with probability of formation of compounds which could deleteriously impact biota in both soil and water. Microplastics generated from Covid biomedical plastic waste could have serious adverse impact on the physicochemical and biological quality of both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.