How ViraCoat is Fighting Medical Waste One Mask at a Time

ViraCoat’s masks can reduce mask usage from between 4 to 8 masks per average nurse’s shift down to between 1 to 3 masks.

COVID’s impact on medical waste

It’s been estimated that 3.4 billion single-use face masks are discarded every day.

A recent report by the World Health Organisation has revealed how dire the impact of COVID-19 has been on medical waste across the globe. When we were thrown into the deep end of the pandemic in 2020, the focus was on protecting the world’s population as best possible, however, this has not been without significant impact on the environment.

“It is absolutely vital to provide health workers with the right PPE, but it is also vital to ensure that it can be used safely without impacting on the surrounding environment.”
– Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme.

WHO’s report mentions the medical supplies that have been delivered as part of their joint emergency initiative with the UN – approximately 87,000 tonnes of personal protective equipment – which has likely ended up as waste. This alone is a huge amount for the environment to cope with, particularly when combined with the waste that has been produced by the everyday citizen.

How ViraCoat is helping combat medical waste

Unlike traditional face masks, ViraCoat’s masks are virucidal in nature, having been proven to kill 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and Bacteria in under 5 minutes. The innovative Neutrapodal™ coating is infused into the mask material under extreme pressure creating an extremely durable bond at a molecular level.

This material is then used on the entire mask, including the ear loops, which means they can be used for longer periods of time than most masks on the market. They can also be removed and replaced multiple times while still maintaining their efficacy. This ability means it’s not necessary to change masks as frequently to remain effective. They’re also easier to dispose of without worrying about viral particles being transferred between items.

For a real-world example, over a standard 8-hour hospital shift a nurse can go through between 4 and 8 surgical or N95 masks. Using our mask instead would reduce that between 1 and 3.

The Neutrapodal™ technology used to create these masks has incredible potential across many pieces of personal protective equipment. Face masks are the first stop, but it can also be used on gowns, gloves, even in air filters. ViraCoat is hoping to make a hugely positive impact on the amount of PPE waste being produced.

If you’d like to purchase a box of our masks, please visit this page here.

Diagram showing ViraCoat’s 1 to 3 mask range compared to the standard 4 to 8.