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Will COVID-19 Containment and Treatment Measures Drive Shifts in Marine Litter Pollution?
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This study examines whether COVID-19 containment and treatment measures, including widespread use of personal protective equipment and single-use plastics, are likely to drive significant shifts in marine litter pollution patterns. The authors assess how pandemic-driven increases in disposable plastic use may translate to elevated inputs of PPE-derived plastic debris in marine environments.
Keywords: COVID-19, personal protection equipment (PPE), marine pollution, single-use plastic, plastic pollution, Coronavirus, marine litter
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What we need to know about PPE associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the marine environment
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This review discusses how the surge in plastic-based personal protective equipment use during the COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to marine plastic pollution. Researchers identified key research gaps regarding the occurrence, degradation, and ecological effects of PPE-derived plastics in ocean environments. The study proposes five priority research areas to better understand and mitigate the environmental impact of pandemic-related plastic waste.
COVID-19 Generated Personal Protective Equipment: Sources of Microplastics and Pathogen Vectors in Marine Environments?
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This study raises concern that COVID-19-related personal protective equipment such as face masks, gloves, and gowns improperly disposed of in marine environments are releasing microplastics and potentially acting as pathogen vectors, creating a dual contamination risk from pandemic waste.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) pollution driven by COVID-19 pandemic in Marina Beach, the longest urban beach in Asia: Abundance, distribution, and analytical characterization.
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This study surveyed COVID-19 personal protective equipment littered on Marina Beach in India, finding over 1,150 items with face masks making up the vast majority. The authors measured the chemical composition of the discarded PPE and raised concerns about masks becoming a significant new source of microplastic pollution as they degrade in coastal environments.
The COVID-19 pandemic as an impeller for the aggravation of marine plastic pollution and economic crisis: the reserve effect of health protection measures on human lives
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This paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic worsened marine plastic pollution by dramatically increasing the use of single-use masks, gloves, and other protective equipment. Billions of pieces of pandemic-related plastic waste entered the environment, much of which ended up in oceans. The authors argue that biodegradable alternatives and better waste management are needed to prevent pandemic-era plastics from becoming a lasting marine pollution problem.
The COVID-19 pandemic reshapes the plastic pollution research – A comparative analysis of plastic pollution research before and during the pandemic
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This comparative bibliometric analysis found that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reshaped plastic pollution research, driving increased focus on single-use plastics from personal protective equipment and medical waste while temporarily shifting attention away from traditional environmental microplastic topics.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.