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Updated: Nov 5, 2025

Determining Viral Disinfection Efficacy of Hot Water Laundering
Published on: June 21, 2022
COVID-19 discarded disposable gloves as a source and a vector of pollutants in the environment
Katarzyna Jędruchniewicz1, Yong Sik Ok2, Patryk Oleszczuk1
1Department of Radiochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland.
Abstract:
The appearance of the virus SARS-CoV-2 at the end of 2019 and its spreading all over the world has caused global panic and increase of personal protection equipment usage to protect people against infection. Increased usage of disposable protective gloves, their discarding to random spots and getting to landfills may result in significant environmental pollution. The knowledge concerning possible influence of gloves and potential of gloves debris on the environment (water, soil, etc.), wildlife and humans is crucial to predict future consequences of disposable gloves usage caused by the pandemic. This review focuses on the possibility of chemical release (heavy metals and organic pollutants) from gloves and gloves materials, their adsorptive properties in terms of contaminants accumulation and effects of gloves degradation under environmental conditions.
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