Review of environmental challenges and pandemic crisis of Covid‑19

Spread of novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS‑CoV‑2]) has become a global and pandemic crisis. Some measures such as excessive use of disinfectants, increased production of nonbiodegradable waste, and water pollution will be the consequences of fighting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19), which harms the environment. Due to the fact that these effects will be identified in the long term, they may be neglected in the current situation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the environmental challenges caused by the SARS‑CoV‑2 pandemic crisis.

This was a review study conducted by search in databases, including Scopus, PubMed, and science direct until early May 2020. Keywords included “SARS‑CoV‑2,” “COVID‑19,” and “Environment.” Studies published in English and conducted in different countries were also selected for the analysis. The guidelines published by reputable organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control prevention (CDC), and the Ministry of Health have also been used in this study.

The results of this study have shown that the COVID‑19 virus, in addition to human damage and mortality, also affects the environment, and the damages and losses resulting from this pandemic may be identified later. Water pollution, increasing chemical pollution in the air, and increasing the production of nonbiodegradable waste are of these issues. For this purpose, it is recommended that, in addition to trying to improve the control of this pandemic, other environmental aspects in disinfection methods and disposal of dry and wet contaminated waste should be done more accurately and based on standard protocols. Infectious waste, in addition to the problem of standard sanitation, will become a major challenge that pollutes the environment. Based on this, it can be said that if home quarantine is observed voluntarily, in addition to reducing the risk of the SARS‑CoV‑2 and reducing the volume of visits to medical centers, it can be associated with another positive achievement, which is the reduction in waste production and protection of the environment.