TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) is implementing a plan to investigate the impact of the coronavirus on marine pollution, director of the marine pollution control office of the DOE has announced.

In order to continuously monitor the swimming areas of the sea, we are implementing a plan to check whether the disease increased or decreased marine pollution, Ziaoddin Almasi stated.

The National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control has prepared guidelines on the country's swimming areas sanitation, which will be observed in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior, he explained.

He went on to say that although coronavirus issues are supervised by the Ministry of Health, the DOE must carry out continuous monitoring in terms of water pollution, which plan to monitor farther areas during a longer period of time to compare water pollution before and during the pandemic.

The plan aims to check how the marine pollution changed since the onset of the outbreak, of course, it does not investigate the virus presence in the sea, but its consequences, like sources of pollution which might be sewage or tourism, he said.

There are 101 swimming areas in the three northern provinces of Golestan, Mazandaran, and Gilan, and if there is a problem in them and the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control requests their closure, he concluded.

COVID-19 positively affects nature

Following the outbreak’s effect on the spread of pollutants throughout the world, most people have experienced unprecedented shocks, and for the first time in a row, greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel consumption, air, land, and water traffic have dropped dramatically during the pandemic.

And this shows how much people's lifestyles are at odds with what they call “global resilience”.

The declining human traffic in nature and the outdoor environment has significantly reduced the amount of noise pollution and earthquakes produced on Earth, making it easier for geologists to study the Earth's outer crusts.

The wildlife population of many countries has declined by 29 to 40 percent over the past decade; but in the wake of the epidemic, improvement and a consequent increase in wildlife populations indicates.

One of the reasons for wildfires in rangeland and forests was camping and the presence of tourists in natural habitats, but now with the cessation of the tourism industry in most parts of the world, has sharply decreased.

Human-caused post-coronavirus crisis 

Binge fear buying was clearly cited as people rushed to pharmacies to lay their hands on either N95 or a simple surgical face mask to protect themselves, the wave even reached medical gloves and detergents.

Many manufacturing companies have gone into overdrive to produce more such personal protection equipment; while an exact shelf life period is dependent on what specific material the gloves are made of, a general rule is three years for disposable natural latex gloves and up to five years for disposable nitrile gloves.

That means more and more waste ends up in landfills despite the environmental threat these kinds of hazardous waste can cause both for the environment and people.

Detergents are the second choice for people to prevent novel coronavirus infection, and these days many consumers are rushing to get these items from stores and shopping malls.

Detergents with certain compounds can be harmful to health as much as they can relieve people of disease.

Excessive consumption of detergents is a risk factor for the environment in addition to water and soil resources; wastewater from these substances enters our life cycle and can come up with a health hazard.

Until recently, it was widely believed that antiseptics do not cause any harm, and do not affect human health or the environment. However, after conducting numerous studies and tests, some of their risks which can be caused by the excessive use of household antiseptics have emerged.

Some of these risks include affecting the environment, where it has become clear that some of the substances used in household antiseptics, especially aerosols, may contaminate the air. In addition, they are dangerous if applied to the skin continuously; though they eliminate harmful organisms, they also kill useful microorganisms located under the layers of the skin, which helps the cells to renew and wounds to heal.

Moreover, a recent American study has revealed a major surprise that might make using antiseptics a real public health hazard. The study revealed that they help to create advanced types of germs and bacteria that are difficult to eradicate, according to the Biblex website.

FB/MG