Svante Arrhenius first linked human-caused carbon emissions and global warming in 1896. Now climate change is recognized as the greatest global threat of the 21st century, impacting human health through extreme weather, wildfires, vector expansion, and even multidrug resistant organism emergence. Canada was the second highest per capita emitter in 20227 and health care is a major contributor.

Although travel and related emissions dropped during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, infection prevention and control (IPAC) caused a huge surge in the transport and use of single-use plastics (e.g., personal protective equipment, wipes, and packaging). Plastic, a petrochemical product, only became widely used in consumer products around 1950. Now microplastics are ubiquitous in our food chain, water, and air, and nanoplastics have been detected in every human organ, with potential for hormone disruption and malignancies. 

IPAC may appear to be the enemy of sustainability. In recent years, single use “disposable” items were often selected over reusable ones, just in case there were errors with reprocessing, or because reprocessing was perceived as more costly in terms of human resources, water, and electricity. The broader impact of plastic pollution was not considered.

We are now uniquely positioned to reverse this trend, by supporting a “circular economy” with reuse as default, requesting life cycle assessment and reprocessing guidance from manufacturers, prioritizing reprocessing best practices, and collaborating with external partners to promote responsibility and innovation. The IPAC Canada Position Statement on Environmental Stewardship, Sustainability, and Planetary Health Related to IPAC provides information and offers simple actions to reduce plastic use and pollution. Please “hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.” Then let’s champion the cause and act together to help save our planet!