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Post COVID-19 pandemic: Disposable face masks as a potential vector of antibiotics in freshwater and seawater

The Science of The Total Environment 2022 38 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Bo Yuan, Bo Yuan, Bo Yuan, Hanyi Li, Lujian Lin, Lujian Lin, Hanyi Li, Lujian Lin, Hualong Hong, Lujian Lin, Hualong Hong, Hanyi Li, Hualong Hong, Hanyi Li, Bo Yuan, Hanyi Li, Bo Yuan, Haoliang Lu, Hanyi Li, Chongling Yan Le He, Le He, Hualong Hong, Haoliang Lu, Hanyi Li, Haoliang Lu, Hualong Hong, Jingchun Liu, Hualong Hong, Jingchun Liu, Haoliang Lu, Haoliang Lu, Jingchun Liu, Haoliang Lu, Chongling Yan Chongling Yan Jingchun Liu, Haoliang Lu, Hualong Hong, Jingchun Liu, Chongling Yan Hualong Hong, Chongling Yan Hualong Hong, Chongling Yan

Summary

Researchers found that disposable face masks discarded during the COVID-19 pandemic readily sorb antibiotic compounds from freshwater and marine environments and can subsequently release them, potentially acting as vectors that concentrate and redistribute antibiotics in aquatic ecosystems.

Study Type Environmental

With the outbreak and widespread of the COVID-19 pandemic, large numbers of disposable face masks (DFMs) were abandoned in the environment. This study first investigated the sorption and desorption behaviors of four antibiotics (tetracycline (TC), ciprofloxacin (CIP), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and triclosan (TCS)) on DFMs in the freshwater and seawater. It was found that the antibiotics in the freshwater exhibited relatively higher sorption and desorption capacities on the DFMs than those in the seawater. Here the antibiotics sorption processes were greatly related to their zwitterion species while the effect of salinity on the sorption processes was negligible. However, the desorption processes were jointly dominated by solution pH and salinity, with greater desorption capacities at lower pH values and salinity. Interestingly, we found that the distribution coefficient (K) of TCS (0.3947 L/g) and SMX (0.0399 L/g) on DFMs was higher than those on some microplastics in freshwater systems. The sorption affinity of the antibiotics onto the DFMs followed the order of TCS > SMX > CIP > TC, which was positively correlated with octanol-water partition coefficient (log K) of the antibiotics. Besides, the sorption processes of the antibiotics onto the DFMs were mainly predominated by film diffusion and partitioning mechanism. Overall, hydrophobic interaction regulated the antibiotics sorption processes. These findings would help to evaluate the environmental behavior of DFMs and to provide the analytical framework of their role in the transport of other pollutants.

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