Is the plastics industry exploiting the coronavirus crisis by linking reusable bags to spread of infection?
Like a number of state leaders, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has ordered grocery stores to temporarily ban customers from bringing their own reusable bags. His decision comes as part of a coordinated effort by elected representatives across both political parties to lower the risk from the coronavirus pandemic.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills also followed suit and moved quickly to delay her state’s soon-to-be-implemented ban on single-use plastic bags, Emily Akin, creator of the Heated environmental newsletter, noted. Among other leaders prohibiting shoppers from bringing their own reusable bags are New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.
However, several experts are questioning whether the extreme cautionary measures to fight the deadly virus are being taken at the expense of science and consumer trends. Until now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not offered any specific recommendations about reusable bags and the novel coronavirus.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, Americans use over 100 billion plastic bags a year owing to their relative cost and flexibility —albeit ignoring the fact that they require more than 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture.
Meanwhile, the Plastics Industry Association (PIA) asked the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month to make a national pronouncement in support of single-use plastics over reusable grocery bags. According to them, the latter will worsen the outbreak because they can carry the virus for longer and will further contribute to community transmission.
“As the coronavirus spreads across the country, single-use plastics will only become more vital,” PIA President Tony Radoszewski said in a statement. “We live longer, healthier and better because of single-use plastics.”
A study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine saw researchers test the viability of the coronavirus on a variety of surfaces. They found that the virus remained alive for 72 hours after they applied it to plastic and stainless steel, 24 hours on cardboard and just four hours on copper. Meanwhile, the viability of the virus on cloth was not tested for the study. Jana Ferguson, Director of the Massachusetts Bureau of Environmental Health, also said they have seen “no scientific information specific to bags and the ability of reusable bags to be a way to spread coronavirus.”
It is obvious that a microscopic examination of reusable bags will easily reveal that most shoppers use them to transport much more than just milk and eggs. However, it is important to establish how dangerous they are relative to other means such as single-use plastic. And even if reusable bags are unsafe for use, how do they compare to hard cash, phones, wallets, and even our own hands — all of which are known to carry a high risk of transmission?
Those advocating for reusable bags are questioning the findings of some recent studies, claiming the data may have been manipulated to fit an overarching industry agenda.
According to these advocates, pinning the argument to the status quo only rekindles criticism of reusable-bag programs which eventually undermines their long-term effectiveness in terms of environmental health.
Another paper published in the Journal of Hospital Infection in February 2020 examined the surface life of at least 12 variants of the coronavirus like SARS and MERS, although they didn't study the novel coronavirus.
The researchers, who assumed that the results would be similar for the SARS-CoV-2, tested the pathogens on inanimate surfaces including metal, glass, aluminum, wood, steel, et cetera. They found that the viruses could persist on plastic for anything less than 48 hours to up to 9 days (MERS-1). While this study also did not feature testing on fabric, authors found that these coronaviruses could easily be incapacitated by surface disinfection procedures in less than a minute.
The aforementioned studies were cited in a new research brief by Greenpeace USA, who claim the plastics industry is waging a PR war in an attempt to "interfere with legislation banning or regulating the use of single-use plastic, notably around plastic bags."
According to the non-governmental organization, the industry is exploiting the COVID-19 emergency by using "front groups, corporate-funded research, and misrepresentation of scientific studies" to instill fear about reusable bags while asserting that single-use plastic is necessary to keep people safe. "These narratives falsely conflate those older studies on bacteria on reusable bags with new studies about coronaviruses to 'prove' that single-use plastic bags are the safest way to prevent transmission of coronavirus," the paper claims.
According to Greenpeace, these campaigns are a deflection from the recent studies demonstrating that the virus will persist on plastic longer than almost any material examined. In fact, that itself should call into question the safety of the majority of plastic-packaged items in supermarkets.
"The professors, spokespeople, and front groups promoting this bait-and-switch misinformation have numerous financial ties to plastic manufacturers and petrochemical refinery companies," the paper further alleges. "Many are affiliated with or have been known to work with conservative free-market think tanks funded by Charles Koch Foundation and fossil fuel-funded clients."
Researchers note that such conflicts of interest are not mentioned in the recent barrage of studies supporting single-use plastic, adding that such misinformation has also led to some states and municipalities to pause or delay legislation banning plastic bags or instituting bag fees.
"The echo chamber falsely linking coronavirus to reusable grocery bags is a profit-driven distraction to vital safety information that consumers need in order to navigate the COVID-19 crisis," the authors conclude.