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Kinetic characteristics of microplastic release from commonly used masks in aquatic environment

Research Square (Research Square) 2022 Score: 35 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Ying Liu, Shuli Liu, Xiaoxia Yang, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Xiaoxia Yang, Xiaoxia Yang, Xiaoxia Yang, Ying Liu, Qian He, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Ying Liu, Xiaoxia Yang, Xiaoxia Yang, Xiaoxia Yang, Xiaoxia Yang, Xiaoxia Yang, Xiaoxia Yang, Ying Liu, Liangkai Chen, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Shuli Liu, Liangkai Chen, Liangkai Chen, Liangkai Chen, Liangkai Chen, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Zhou Yan, Ying Liu, Liangkai Chen, Shuli Liu, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Ying Liu, Zhou Yan, Qian He, Qian He, Ying Liu, Shuli Liu, Xiaoxia Yang, Ying Liu, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Shuli Liu, Qian He, Qian He, Qian He, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Xiaoxia Yang, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Xiaoxia Yang, Ying Liu, Kunming Tian Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Kunming Tian Ying Liu, Yan Li, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Shuli Liu, Kunming Tian Kunming Tian Kunming Tian Kunming Tian Kunming Tian Ying Liu, Ying Liu, Kunming Tian

Summary

Researchers tested four mask types (normal, fashion, N95, and disposable surgical) by exposing them to simulated natural water environments over 12 months at 3-month intervals to characterize the kinetics of microplastic release. They found time-dependent release patterns that varied by mask construction, documenting structural degradation and quantifying microplastic fiber shedding as a function of duration, with implications for environmental risk assessment of pandemic-related mask pollution.

Abstract Masks-related microplastic pollution poses a new threat to the environment and human health that has gained increasing concern. However, the longer-term kinetics of microplastic release from mask in aquatic environments have not been studied, which hampers its risk assessment. Four types of masks, Mask 1 (normal mask), Mask 2 (fashion mask), Mask 3 (N95 mask), and Mask 4 (disposable surgical mask), were exposed to simulated natural water environments to determine the time-dependent microplastic release characteristics at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, respectively. In addition, the structure changes of employed masks were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was applied to analyze the chemical composition of released microplastic fibers. Our results showed that the stimulated natural water environment could degrade four masks and produce microplastic fibers and fragments in a time-dependent manner. The size of released particles/fibers is dominant below 20 µm across four mask types. The physical structure of all four masks was damaged to varying degrees. Collectively, we characterized the long-term kinetics of microplastic release from commonly used masks. Our findings suggest that urgent action must be taken to properly manage disposable masks and ultimately limit the health threats associated with discarded masks.

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