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Potential Microplastic Threat: Environmental Assessment of The Face Mask Pollution
Summary
Researchers assessed the environmental threat posed by face masks discarded during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that masks contain polypropylene fibers that can fragment into microplastics and persist in the environment. The study calls for better mask disposal strategies and environmental monitoring to track mask-derived microplastic pollution.
Abstract In recent studies, many reports on the environmental effects of microplastic pollution have been presented. Countries across the world have already started carrying out studies on the restrictions of the industrial use of microplastics based on these reports. Many non-governmental organizations try to clean the existing microplastics from the oceans using their resources. However, a new source of microplastics has started to be released into nature as a result of the single-use face masks that protect us against the spread of COVID-19 and are being thrown onto the streets and into seas and nature. Before the pandemic, it was reported that more than 300 million microplastics were discharged from the province of Mersin to the eastern Mediterranean. This number will inevitably increase if not managed correctly. A mass balance needs to be studied for the correct management of waste. This study aims to estimate the amount of face mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, thereby expressing our concerns about waste management and plastic pollution, and calling on appropriate solid waste management policies and governments to take the necessary measures to formulate their strategies at all levels.