National Geographic Journalist: Properly Dispose Of Face Masks, Other PPE To Reduce Pollution

A senior staff writer at National Geographic says that, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-term effects of producing personal protective equipment in large quantities was unknown. But as time passes, many studies are showing that millions of PPE items are being produced, and if they are not discarded properly, they pose a threat to animals and the environment.

Laura Parker, who covers climate change and ocean conservation, recently wrote in her article “How to Stop Discarded Face Masks from Polluting the Planet” that, “Globally, 65 billion gloves are used every month. The tally for face masks is nearly twice that — 129 billion a month. That translates into 3 million face masks used per minute.”

Parker, who was a guest on Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” talked to show host Rose Scott about her article and about ways to properly dispose of PPE so the items don’t end up in landfills and waterways and cause pollution.