Health implications of indiscriminate disposal of facemasks, shields

The use of face masks is one of the protective measures against COVID-19. Following the government’s directive for its mandatory use in public places since the advent of COVID-19, more people now use it.

However, while some people dispose of them carefully after use in waste bins, many others have been disposing them all over the streets, their neighbourhoods, schools and even littering the floors of their offices with them.

The indiscriminate disposal of facemask and face shield is raising fresh concerns as some of them are left in places where little children pick them up, wear them or play with them.

Some people wear the masks when going to supermarkets, public gatherings or where there are law enforcement officers, but quickly dispose them on the ground some meters or minutes after leaving such places.

Our reporter observed indiscriminate disposal of face masks in some areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) like Nyanya and nearby Ado and Masaka towns in Nasarawa State, where used face masks and face shields littered drainages and road paths.

Close to the Mararaba checkpoint, the border town between the FCT and Nasarawa State, a lot of these materials litter everywhere.

Aliyu Garba, a torchlight and phone accessory vendor, said there were no cleaners to clear the improperly disposed masks. “These things are everywhere here and we don’t see them as harmful.”

During the lockdown, commuters (especially those coming into the FCT) were subjected to thorough scrutiny at that checkpoint. It was compulsory to have a facemask before one could be allowed into the FCT by a task force team.

The team comprised of men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), police, army and at times, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and health workers from the state’s hospitals.

Hauwa Yusuf, a nurse who participated in the checks during the lockdown enforcement, said some people only wear the facemasks just to cross over to the FCT or to Nasarawa.

“When they pass the security checks, you would see them dumping the masks.”

Speaking on the hazards of improperly disposed masks, the health official said: “We know that it is dangerous disposing these items in drainages and waterways. This is because the coronavirus can stay on a wet surface for a number of days.”

A cleaner along the axis, Margaret Shekwolo, said they were only instructed and equipped to sweep the Abuja-Keffi highway corridor. They were not equipped to clean the drainages and would require special training to evacuate the litters of PPEs around the area.

“Our work is to sweep the road corridors, and we don’t have the manpower to clean the drainages. Besides, the litters are more around drainages and the many illegal refuse disposal points around here.”

Our reporter observed that several streets were littered with used face masks within EFAB Estate Lokogoma, Abuja, during a visit there.

George Andrew, a resident, said though some residents dispose of face masks in their trash bins, he is concerned with the way scavengers pick bottles, plastics, and other recyclable items with their bare hands from trash bins with disposed face masks.

“These women just deep their hands into the bins without a glove or protection gear and sort things with bare hands. They say they’ve been doing it for ages without any infectious diseases or ailments but with the onslaught of coronavirus, they should at least protect themselves if they would not be able to stop it outrightly,” he said.

A Gwarinpa resident, Folashade Adesanya, said most residents are informed on using face masks but lack necessary guidance on safe practices to imbibe while disposing it.

“I once boarded a taxi and found a used face mask in the car. When I called the attention of the driver, he just picked it and threw it out of the car. On seeing my reaction, he apologised that someone must have mistakenly left it but he did not know that I was stunned that he picked the face masks with his bare hands and threw it out,” she said.

She said enlightening residents on the importance of the proper usage of face masks as well as hygienic means of disposal is important.

On how she disposes of her face masks, she said, “I use the fabric face masks that are reusable but whenever I use the surgical masks, I try to put it in a bag and secure it properly before putting it in the trash bin. It might not be the best means but I am sure the risk of exposing someone to it is reduced,” she said.

A taxi driver, Jelili Mohammed, saw no wrong in throwing away face masks, “Using face masks is enough torment why should I worry about how it is disposed of,” Mohammed said in Yoruba language.

Dean Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Professor Nasiru Medugu Idris, said indiscriminately disposed face masks are an eyesore to the immediate environment, especially in major cities where COVID-19 protocols are being observed.

Prof Idris noted that the indiscriminate disposal of face masks within our buildings and the surrounding environment has significant effect on the public health, “Especially where the person that dispose the face mask has an infectious disease that is airborne and that can be transmitted through small particulates in the air over time and distance.”

He stressed that diseases such as tuberculosis, whooping cough, pneumonia, influenza among others can be transmitted as they are pathogens, which may be virus, bacteria or fungi may spread very fast within the littered area as the aerosols from the masks may be suspended in the air for some time. “Therefore, this is very dangerous to public health.”

He advised that the best way to dispose of face masks is to adopt a new normal in this time of COVID-19 pandemic.

“The new normal is to make personal hygiene very important as part of our lives and always consider the implications of indiscriminate littering of our immediate environment with used face masks,” he said.

Prof Idris also urged the government to provide trash bins at strategic locations within the country as practiced in developed countries.

He said, “By doing so, the culture of handy waste disposal will be nurtured by everyone gradually and it will become a new normal.”

An epidemiologist specialized in COVID-19, Dr Olayinka Ilesanmi, said it is imperative for residents to know proper disposal.

“The issue of face masks is not about using and disposing it anywhere. Face masks that are meant to be disposed of should not be left where children can easily pick it or play with it.

“Used face masks, with the exception of the cloth type, should be properly disposed of in the waste bin. At home, children must not have access to a used mask, regardless of whether it is cloth or medical. In offices and hospitals, it should be properly disposed in appropriate refuse disposal bins.”

He advised that every face mask should be washed if possible, with chlorine solution, dried and ironed before the next use.

Dr Ilesanmi said just as nobody tells us before we dispose of our used cloth when worn out, so, we will know when it is important to discard the cloth mask especially when the colour is fading and the quality is not as it used to be.