[LUM#13] The Plastic Pandemic: A Step Backward
The tentative wave of “deplasticization” that began a few years ago has been overwhelmed by another wave: the COVID-19 pandemic. Plastic is making a strong comeback in the midst of the health crisis, causing a worrying surge in the volume of our synthetic polymer waste of all kinds.
It’s one of the unfortunate side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: the big comeback of plastic. Everywhere. In fast-food restaurants and cafeterias, where reusable cups and glasses have given way to disposables. In stores, where plastic bags are making a strong comeback at the checkout. In shops where protective screens are popping up everywhere. At “drive-thru” locations and their overpackaged groceries. In the thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer that are all the rage. And above all, on our faces, covered by those famous disposable masks made of polypropylene microfiber—the quintessential plastic resin.
Detoxification
Why has the health crisis brought the tentative move away from plastic—which had been underway—to a screeching halt? “Fear is the main driver behind this sudden craze for all-plastic products, ” explains Nathalie Gontard, a researcher at the Agopolymer Engineering and Emerging Technologies Laboratory*. Fear? The fear of being infected with the coronavirus. “Because it’s disposable, plastic seems safer to people; it’s establishing itself as the hygienic material that saves lives by preventing contamination caused by reuse.”
Yet this reputation is entirely unwarranted. “The virus persists for several hours to several days on all surfaces,” explains Valérie Guillard*. “A coronavirus may even persist much longer on plastic than on glass or metal. It also remains longer on a disposable polypropylene microfiber gown than on a cotton gown or a paper surface, ” adds the polymer specialist.
Even disposable masks may not be as essential as one might think: “Masks made of natural fibers such as cotton, flannel, silk, or hemp have filtering capabilities just as effective as a surgical mask made of synthetic fibers; they trap at least 80% of particles with an average size of 60 nanometers thanks to a combination of physical filtration and electrostatic effects, ” explains Nathalie Gontard. According to experts, a mask’s performance—regardless of the type of fibers used, provided they are sufficiently dense—depends primarily on how well it fits the contours of the face.
Economic Issues
Plastic: Not So Fantastic. And yet this illusion of health safety represents an incredible opportunity for manufacturers in the sector, who have rushed to fill the gap without delay. “The economic stakes are so high that some manufacturers have no qualms about capitalizing on the anxiety surrounding the health crisis to flout bans and boost their business, ” laments Nathalie Gontard. As early as April 8,the EuPC, the lobby group for European plastics processors, asked the European Commission to postpone the implementation of the European directive adopted in 2019 that bans the sale of several single-use plastic products. “Fortunately, the request was rejected.”
And yet the plastic boom is already clearly visible. This is evidenced by the increase in waste requiring disposal, which has been particularly noticeable in Spain since the start of the pandemic. This poses a real risk not only to the environment but also to human health, as the researchers explain: “Plastic persists in our environment for up to several centuries in the form of micro- and then nanoparticles: plastic microfibers break down, fragment, multiply, spread throughout our environment, become laden with pollutants, and ultimately contaminate our food chain and threaten the proper functioning of the organs of all living beings.”
The cure that's worse than the disease
The microfibers from our masks are therefore likely to end up on our plates—or those of our grandchildren. “We should put a warning on these disposable masks made of synthetic polymers that says, ‘seriously harms the health of our grandchildren,’” exclaims Nathalie Gontard. “Washing a mask made of natural fibers remains the most effective way to eliminate the virus, the most economical, and the least harmful to the environment,” adds Valérie Guillard.
And when it comes to COVID-19, the rampant use of plastic masks could well indirectly fuel the spread of the epidemic… How? “Numerous studies point to the fact that the transmission of the virus could be linked to air pollution from fine particulate matter—the very same particles that come in part from the breakdown of plastic films and fibers, and thus from polypropylene masks,” explains the specialist, who warns that this remedy risks becoming worse than the disease itself.
For both researchers, it is urgent to “de-plasticize” our lifestyles. “We must reserve the use of plastic for sectors where it is absolutely essential. Wherever plastic-free alternatives exist, we must adopt them. This would allow us to limit our use of plastic to the bare minimum, ” advises Valérie Guillard. We should adopt alternatives, but also simply limit our consumption. “There are many objects—often made of plastic—that we could easily do without,” adds Nathalie Gontard. “For many of us, this lockdown has been an opportunity to reflect on our lifestyles and values; we can hope that traces of this reflection will linger within each of us…” These reflections will temper our enthusiasm for plastic items and prevent them from leaving indelible traces on the environment.
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* IATE (UM, INRAE, CIRAD, Institut Agro-Montpellier SupAgro)