To think single-use PPE is terrible for the environment

[Lycidas]

Apparently 55,000 items of PPE will only last eight hours in the UK...with this situation due to continue for many months at least. Is there really no alternative that’s not as wasteful and environmentally damaging?

Actually OP is not being unreasonable. If we could find a way to lunder and sterelise the gowns we would be in a lot better situation. There are some very innovative people out there inventing all sorts. An ICU consultant I know has a UV light stereliser for all the clothes he comes home in. There is an issue about the fabric being water repellant but I bet some clever person could solve this problem, not so much for the environment but so that there was enough PPE

Regarding air pollution reduction, I read an article yesterday saying that airlines in the USA had not really reduced flights, the planes are just flying 80% empty.

I am amazed at the closed minded aggression on here to OP. She has seen a problem, and is wondering about whethere there is a solution. That is an enquiring mind, and thats how things get invented. I imagine some boffin is thinking about it as we write. If this is supposed to be a discussion forum, please discuss, not abuse

I agree but I don’t really have a choice at the moment.

I was fully gowned up yesterday dealing with a Covid patient. Should I just have kept it on to go into the next patient? I need to remove it all before I leave the room.

@saraclara It's very simple. The materials used in order to prevent molecules as tiny as viruses passing through, are not safely washable.

There is simply no alternative.

But they have to be marked as sterilised before they are distributed for use. So how are they sterilised after manufacture?

Are our holidays abroad when we not visiting family essential

Or the take away coffee we buy

Or the endless bottles of products we want to try out

Or the number of clothes we have (the water it takes to make cotton)

These are not essentials

PPE is

They are produced in a sterile environment

Once opened it’s not

Its more about prioritising single use items where they are most needed, medical hygiene and food safety are hard to get away from. A lot of that waste will be incinerated rather than landfill. There are plenty of other eco opportunities.

For the past year or so MN has been filled with saving the environment and transgender stuff
Funnily enough it just doesn't bloody matter right at this moment

Op you are right to think about this. I work for the NHS and only 15 years ago we had laundered long sleeve fabric theatre gowns. They definitely weren't fluid resist though and at the end of an op you could be soaked through.

We have been working to make 3D printed visors that can be cleaned rather than binned each time.

Insturments which used to be sterilized are now single use plastic because they cost less.

There is a part of me that feels physically sick at the amount of medical waste produced. However now is absolutely not the time for us to be thinking about this.

You aren't wrong to ask the question though.

I know MN loves the environment but fuck sake

It’s really not the right time to go all Greta on us.

Ask Greta the wise one.

I'm surprised this is the first thread on this. Was expecting some environmentalist to be upset about this before now.

You can reuse single use PP3 masks.

They should be removed very carefully and hung up.

The body of the mask must not be crushed or damaged.

They need to be sprayed with 75% alcohol solution then left to dry out for several days in a safe place.

The fit should be checked as this can weaken the elastic.

You'd probably only get an extra use or two out of a PP3 mask.

I have a medics guide to this when there is no alternative. It's really for when there is no other option and how to maintain the best outcome under difficult circumstances.

@Lycidas Found this report which was encouraging:
qz.com/1837127/ford-turns-airbag-material-into-ppe-for-covid-19-responders/

It turns out, the Nylon 6,6 material used in vehicle airbags as well as parachutes, carpets, and garden hoses makes for an ideal PPE material. “This was a really great find,” explains Ford director Marcy Fisher at the briefing, noting how the lightweight fabric is perfectly fluid-resistant. “The gowns are washable and they retained their performance qualities… after 50 times in the wash.”

My mother yesterday: 'I've burned the cardboard recycling in the garden, shall I make a start on the plastic or do you think the neighbours will complain?'

Please tell me you talked her out of it.

I can't quite believe you posted this. The priority is saving lives, both of patients and staff.

The environment is benefiting from very few planes in the sky and fewer vehicles on the roads.

Most hospital waste and ppe is incinerated at the end. Not great for the environment with the emissions but better than taking hundreds of years in landfill and leaching micro plastics into the soil.

I work in sustainability, and the nhs do produce huge amounts of waste, but the cross contamination issue is a massive thing. Would you like it if you caught a disease from someone else due to reusable ppe?

It’s about cost. Reuseable PPE is available (and used in Asian labs that research infectious diseases) but is expensive (10-20 x the cost of single use) and requires specialist laundary services.

I can't believe you are posting this.

Why is everyone having such a go at the OP? It's clear she's not saying right now they should be reusing PPE and putting more people at risk.

We wouldn't be so fucked if reusable PPE was invented in the first place and I think it's perfectly possible for scientists much smarter than I am to come up with a reusable option. The reusable gowns used in Asia sound interesting.

I don't know why OP getting such a hard time as I had similar discussion with friend because of shortage issues now, wondering if with modern technology it would be possible to design more reusable items in future as then you'd have stock and treatment facilities and perhaps less reliant on supply & stockpile contingency storage.

The current hospital ppe will at least be burnt and not landfill or litter like those bought by public.

You can buy gloves made from stretchy materials. They are vintage style gloves that were worn to protect from sun damage many decades ago.

You can find plenty on eBay under Islamic gloves. They can be washed and worn again.

You can also get face coverings made from similar material.

I guess keyworkers could work naked and then be hosed down regularly.

Everyone being naked has always been my solution for airport security too though.