The History of Paper and its Relevancy in The Modern World
Paper usage during pandemic
Since the start of the pandemic, like many others, paper production has been hit by Covid-19. And even though paper usage in schools and offices declined, the toilet papers, tissues, medical tissue papers, surgical masks and gowns were and still are very much rising rapidly. In March, the world was gripped by the Great toilet paper shortage. Around the world, people hoarded toilet paper rolls during the start of the pandemic. It is not clear why there was panic, since many countries are self-sufficient in this product, but it is believed to be started off as an online rumours about the supply chain. Demand for toilet paper, tissues and paper towels have always been growing for years, yet in recent analysis it is speculated that Covid-19 might have triggered a more long-term trend for hoarding toilet paper, which ultimately leads to the increase of sales in paper industry.
Paper usage in medical field
Many companies are now branching out into medical tissue papers. Surgical face masks and gowns are often made of paper, and many companies have temporarily switched from making other products to meet the demand for PPE. A more surprising medical use for paper have been rapid tests. One if the paper’s special qualities is that it lends itself to “capillary action”, which means a liquid that starts at one end will eventually move across to the other without any active help. Not only does this system work for Covid-19 identifications, it is also widely used for many other routine tests, such as detecting pregnancy, urinary tract infections, HIV, and toxins in drinking water.