CS-4
COVID-19 & Climate Change
Negative Effects
on Atmosphere
Air Pollution by Medical Wastes
The amount of greenhouse gases
emitted by the entire medical industry
-
the amount of the world's top five polluting countries
-
the amount emitted by 514 coal-fired power plants
-
4.4% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions
Increase in the Amount of Medical Waste
The amount of medical waste generated when a COVID-19 patient was hospitalized was up to 2 to 4 times higher than that of patients infected with other diseases.
Plus, production of PPE products has been reported to increase up to 40% or more compared to the pre-pandemic period.
In Wuhan, China, the amount of medical waste increased by more than 6 times compared to the previous month during the month when the corona virus spread was the strongest, and in Hubei Province, the amount of waste increased by about 4 times.
Quarantine medical waste in Korea has increased by about two times due to the spread of the coronavirus, and general waste emissions have also increased rapidly due to self-isolation in addition to medical waste.
Changes in Air Pollutant Emissions
1. Before COVID-19 occurred
In 2019, annual nitrogen oxide emissions and hydrogen chloride emissions were calculated at 125 tons and 14 tons.
2. After COVID-19 outbreak
In 2020, annual nitrogen oxide emissions increased by about 10% compared to the previous year to about 137 tons. Even annual emissions of hydrogen chloride increased by about 30% to about 23 tons.
In 2021, annual nitrogen oxide emissions were about 159 tons, an increase of about 30% compared to 2019, and annual emissions of hydrogen chloride were estimated at about 26 tons.
