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Simulation of the Long-Term Ageing of Polypropylene-Made Disposable Surgical Masks and Filtering Facepiece Respirators
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Researchers artificially aged polypropylene surgical masks under simulated environmental conditions and modeled their long-term oxidative degradation, finding that mask polymers undergo progressive fragmentation that will generate microplastics for years to decades after disposal in the environment.
The main purpose of this work is to contribute to understanding the mechanism of oxidation of the polymeric components of common disposable masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic to offer the chemical basis to predict their long-term behaviour under typical environmental conditions. Artificial ageing of representative mask layers under isothermal conditions (110℃) or accelerated photoageing showed that all the PP-made components underwent a fast oxidation process, following the typical hydrocarbon oxidation mechanism. In particular, yellowing and the melting temperature drop are early indicators of their diffusion-limited oxidation. Morphology changes also induced a loss of mechanical properties, observable as embrittlement of the fabric fibres. Results were validated through preliminary outdoor ageing of masks, which allows us to predict they will suffer fast and extensive oxidation only in the case of contemporary exposure to sunlight and relatively high environmental temperature, leading to their extensive breakdown in the form of microfiber fragments, i.e., microplastics.
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Study of the Long-Term Aging of Polypropylene-Made Disposable Surgical Masks and Filtering Facepiece Respirators
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Researchers studied the long-term aging of polypropylene surgical masks and filtering respirators under simulated environmental conditions, finding progressive oxidation that weakens the polymer structure and promotes fragmentation into microplastics over time.
Environmental Decay of Single Use Surgical Face Masks as an Agent of Plastic Micro-Fiber Pollution
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Researchers observed the environmental decay of single-use polypropylene surgical face masks discarded during the COVID-19 pandemic in real outdoor settings, documenting the rate and progression of photo-oxidative fragmentation and micro-fiber release over time under natural weathering conditions.
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Researchers simulated 900 days of UV photolysis on surgical mask polypropylene and detected both microplastics larger than 10 µm (10 mg per mask item) and nanoplastics averaging 149 nm, demonstrating that mask degradation releases particles small enough to penetrate deep into the respiratory tract.
Exudation of microplastics from commonly used face masks in COVID-19 pandemic
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Researchers simulated real-world mask usage and found that commonly used face masks — including surgical and cloth types — shed measurable quantities of microplastic particles that could be inhaled by the wearer, raising concerns about respiratory exposure during prolonged mask use.
Significant Fragmentation of Disposable Surgical Masks—Enormous Source for Problematic Micro/Nanoplastics Pollution in the Environment
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Researchers found that improperly discarded disposable surgical masks lose up to 30% of their mass within one month outdoors, releasing micro- and nanoplastic particles from all five mask components through photodegradation and leaching into aquatic environments.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.