PPE’s Contribution to the Plastic Pandemic

“It’s estimated that it could take 450 years to completely decompose a surgical mask.”

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is critically important for health care workers; however, use of PPE is also contributing to environmental disaster. The COVID-19 pandemic and the monkeypox outbreak underscore how crucial protecting frontline workers is for their health and for public health at large. What is yet unclear are the environmental implications of our extensive PPE use during the pandemic. Nurses must have prominent voices at the table when discussing the future of PPE and how to deal with waste.

In the United Kingdom alone it was reported that over a period of just 53 days, 748 million PPE items were used in hospitals. In 2020, over 6.76 billion PPE items were distributed in England, three times the usual amount. Several countries reported over a 350% increase in medical waste during the height of the pandemic. During two years of the pandemic, it’s estimated that over 900 million tons of plastic waste was generated.

This ‘plastic pandemic,’ which is now a global threat that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, began in the 1850s when early forms of plastic began replacing natural materials. Despite recycling efforts, over 60% of plastics are estimated to remain […]

2022-09-20T09:37:57-04:00September 20th, 2022|environmental health, environmental health, Public health|0 Comments
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School Nurses Teaching Lifesaving Skills to Children

A scary moment in the home.

One weekend morning, my then-six-year-old son ran into the kitchen holding a half-eaten piece of fruit and looking panicked. He and his brothers had just finished eating breakfast before rushing off to play a game in the next room. Only a faint wheeze emerged when my son tried to breathe. He was choking.

Years earlier, my husband and I had taken a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid class for new parents taught by paramedics and nurses at our local community center. We immediately used techniques we’d practiced in that class to successfully dislodge the food, and our son recovered fully. That long-ago instruction had not only given us the knowledge needed to clear our son’s airway but also the confidence to do so calmly during a frightening moment.

A 4th-grader learns proper technique for chest compressions and how to use an AED. Photo by Dulce Rodriguez.

Collaborating with the community to empower students.

In our May issue In Our Community column, nurses in the Klein Independent School District in Harris County, Texas, describe how they have been instilling this combination of lifesaving […]

2022-09-01T08:29:18-04:00September 1st, 2022|Nursing, Public health, school nurses|0 Comments
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Message from a Concerned School Nurse

Robin Cogan

In case you have not seen the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for schools, published on August 11, 2022, here they are: Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning.

Key changes in CDC guidance for schools.

The CDC has chosen the path of least resistance as schools are about to reopen or are in their first few weeks of the new school year. Although the word “prevention” is included in the CDC’s name, this central goal seems to have been removed from these guidelines, including crucial pieces of the mitigation strategies that in the past prevented the school-level spread of the virus:

2022-08-25T09:13:06-04:00August 25th, 2022|infectious diseases, Nursing, nursing perspective, Public health, school nurses|2 Comments
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Poliovirus: Still a Threat

First U.S. polio case in nearly a decade.

Henderson respirator 20th century. Credit: Wellcome Library, London, via Wikipedia Creative Commons.

Last month, an unvaccinated 20-year-old in Rockland County, New York, was diagnosed with paralytic polio. He had not traveled in the previous month; he was infected by an (unknown) individual who had travelled and acquired the infection abroad.

According to the CDC, poliovirus was also found in wastewater from Rockland and a neighboring county—coincidentally sampled in May, June, and July as part of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance—and some of the positive samples were genetically linked to virus from the patient. This reflects ongoing community transmission and ongoing risk to unvaccinated residents. Because most poliovirus infections are […]

2022-08-23T08:43:27-04:00August 23rd, 2022|infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
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Heat Illnesses: Nursing Essentials from a NYC Emergency Department

As complex as health care may be in an emergency department (ED) setting, the weather and seasonality have added additional variables to that complexity. It is critical that registered nurses in the ED understand the health care trends associated with the weather and seasons. As in many other places, the summer here in New York City is a time when people are more active, spending time outdoors and traveling. This summer we have experienced several stretches with temperature in the high 90 degrees. July recently had a seven-day stretch with temperatures nearing and exceeding 100 degrees in New York. These heat waves can become physiologically unbearable.

Jonathan Nover, MBA, RN

Who is most vulnerable to heat illness?

During these heat waves, it is important to recognize the pockets of vulnerability among us. Older adults are often the most vulnerable because of decreased capacity to thermoregulate in response to changes in temperature. It is also important to consider the effects of heat on the homeless community and people without access to air-conditioned environments. Children are more susceptible to heat illness than adults. Some medications, such as diuretics, and consumption of alcohol and illicit drugs can increase a person’s risk of heat exhaustion. Additionally, individuals who perform strenuous […]

2022-08-18T11:39:58-04:00August 18th, 2022|climate change, environmental health, Nursing, nursing perspective, Public health|0 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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