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Evaluation of the toxicological effects of microparticles from disposable masks on the test organism Oreochromis niloticus
Summary
Researchers exposed Nile tilapia to microparticles shed from disposable COVID-19 face masks and found that polypropylene and polyester fibers from improperly discarded masks caused subchronic toxicity after 14 days of waterborne exposure. The study highlights how the massive increase in single-use mask disposal during the pandemic created a new and poorly recognized source of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments. Fish health effects from mask-derived microplastics add to growing concerns about the ecological legacy of pandemic-era waste.
Microplastic pollution is becoming increasingly worrying due to the problems brought to the environment, society and especially to human beings. With the epidemic of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), masks have become mandatory for the entire population, to reduce thetransmission of the virus, however, incorrect disposal can cause impacts on ecosystems. Disposable face masks, when exposed to the weather, may suffer degradation, with the fibers of this polymer considered in some cases as microplastics. Given the above, this study aims to analyze the effects of masks, incorrectly discarded, on the health of fish of the species Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia), after subchronic water exposure (14 days). First, the masksand elastics were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), together with a granulometric analysis. The FTIR data revealed that polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PES) are the main constituent materials of the mask, the SEM analysis showed ordered and smooth fibers of polymeric materials, both the front part of the mask and the elastic. The granulometry of the material revealed that 89% of the particles used in the experiment had a diameter of 2.4 and 1.2 mm. For the genotoxic evaluation of the material, the fish were exposed to microparticles from white and black disposable masks, in three concentrations: 0.2 mg/L; 1 mg/L and 5 mg/L, in a semi-static systemwith renewal of ¾ of the water and the contaminant, for subsequent analysis of the health of thefish using the Fulton condition factor, genetic biomarker (comet assay) and biochemicals (acetylcholinesterase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase and lipoperoxidation). The Fulton condition factor showed a significant decrease in the body size of the fish in the groups with 1mg/L and 5 mg/L of white mask and in the group with 0.2 mg/L of black mask, indicating a possible impairment of health of the animal. The comet assay results point to DNA damage at the highest concentration of the black mask. Cerebral acetylcholinesterase activity indicated anincrease in enzyme activity at concentrations of 1 mg/L and 5 mg/L of the white mask and at the concentration of 5 mg/L of the black mask. Muscle AchE activity, catalase as well as GSTshowed no significant differences in relation to the control. However, LPO levels increased in the groups exposed to 1mg/L and 5 mg/L of the white mask and in the groups exposed to 0.2 mg/L, 1 mg/L and 5 mg/L of the black mask. In view of the results obtained, it can be indicatedthat both mask alternatives are harmful to the environment, as they have toxic effects at sublethal concentrations for O. Niloticus fingerlings. This study contributes to the elucidation of the effects caused by polypropylene microparticles in the aquatic environment, however more studies are needed in the area, in order to better elucidate the results obtained here.