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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of COVID-19 on coastal and marine environments: Aggravated microplastic pollution, improved air quality, and future perspective
ClearEffects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment, waste management, and energy sectors: a deeper look into the long-term impacts
This review examines the environmental consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that while short-term air quality improvements occurred during lockdowns, the long-term negative effects are far more significant. Researchers documented massive increases in single-use plastic waste from masks, gloves, and packaging, contributing substantially to microplastic pollution. The study highlights that the pandemic reversed progress on waste reduction and created new challenges for environmental management across waste, energy, and pollution sectors.
The long-term impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on environmental health: a review study of the bi-directional effect
Researchers reviewed how the COVID-19 pandemic created a two-way relationship with environmental health, finding that lockdowns temporarily improved air and water quality while simultaneously driving a surge in single-use plastic waste and biohazard materials. The review calls for long-term sustainability policies that balance economic recovery with environmental protection, including reducing plastic pollution.
Microplastic pollution and associated health hazards: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic
This review explores how the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in single-use plastic waste from masks, gloves, and packaging, increasing microplastic pollution in the environment. Microplastics from this waste can enter land, air, and water, ultimately accumulating in the human body. The study highlights the need for better plastic waste detection, recycling, and management to reduce health risks from pandemic-driven microplastic contamination.
Plastic pollution during COVID-19: Plastic waste directives and its long-term impact on the environment
Researchers reviewed how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated global plastic production — through mandatory masks, gloves, and single-use packaging — worsening long-term micro- and nanoplastic pollution in oceans, soils, and food chains. The study calls for stronger plastic waste management programs that specifically target the prevention of small plastic particles from entering ecosystems.
Plastic Waste and Sustainability: Reflections and Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Socio-Cultural and Environmental Context
This systematic literature review examined the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on plastic waste generation and management, finding through analysis of 22 studies that the pandemic increased PPE and microplastic pollution in coastal environments and shifted consumption patterns toward increased packaging waste from e-commerce, raising concerns about long-term socio-environmental consequences.
COVID-19 and Environment: a Review
This review examines both the negative and positive environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that while lockdown measures improved air quality and reduced water and noise pollution in many regions, the pandemic also dramatically increased plastic waste from single-use items and personal protective equipment. The authors assess how pandemic-era disruptions to human activity reshaped pollution patterns across multiple environmental domains.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Microplastic Pollution
This review links the COVID-19 pandemic to a surge in microplastic pollution driven by increased production and disposal of personal protective equipment including masks and gloves. The authors document how pandemic-related plastic waste entered terrestrial and aquatic environments and argue for circular economy strategies to prevent future public health crises from amplifying plastic pollution.
Covid-19 and increase in plastic debris in coastal and marine environments
This commentary discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic increased plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments through surging demand for single-use protective equipment and packaging. The authors call for urgent policy action to prevent pandemic-related plastic from becoming a lasting environmental legacy.
COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the environment: A global perspective
This global perspective reviews environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting sharp increases in single-use plastic waste, pharmaceutical pollution, and medical waste that more than offset short-term pollution reductions seen during lockdowns. The authors argue that pandemic-driven plastic surges created a new wave of microplastic contamination entering aquatic and terrestrial systems.
Understanding of environmental pollution and its anthropogenic impacts on biological resources during the COVID-19 period
Researchers reviewed how the COVID-19 pandemic intensified plastic pollution across terrestrial, marine, and atmospheric environments by driving surges in single-use plastics and inadequately managed medical waste, with plastic-related contamination projected to pose escalating transboundary risks through 2030 and beyond.
A Brief Review on Microplastic Pollution in Aquatic Body
This brief review summarizes the extent of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly worsened the problem through increased use and disposal of single-use plastic personal protective equipment including face masks and gloves. The authors call for improved waste management strategies to address this accelerating contamination.
Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on environment, society, and food security
Researchers reviewed the environmental and societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that while lockdowns temporarily reduced air and water pollution, the pandemic increased release of microcontaminants and biomedical plastic waste while severely disrupting global food security, particularly for vulnerable populations in low-income countries.
Global impacts of COVID-19 on sustainable ocean development
Researchers reviewed how the COVID-19 pandemic affected ocean health, finding that reduced shipping and human activity gave marine ecosystems a temporary respite, but a surge in plastic waste — including over 25,000 tons of pandemic-related plastics entering the ocean — partially offset those gains and created new sources of microplastics.
Increased plastic pollution due to COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and recommendations
This review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased plastic pollution through the massive use of disposable personal protective equipment like masks and gloves. Researchers warn that this surge in single-use plastics will accelerate the generation of microplastics and nanoplastics in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The study emphasizes the need to balance public health measures with environmental safety and calls for a shift toward sustainable alternatives.
COVID-19 Impacts on Beaches and Coastal Water Pollution at Selected Sites in Ecuador, and Management Proposals Post-pandemic
Researchers studied how COVID-19 lockdown measures temporarily improved environmental conditions at beaches and coastal waters in Ecuador by reducing direct human activities like tourism and port operations. The study found decreases in plastic litter, hydrocarbon contamination, and microbiological pollution during confinement periods, though conditions are expected to revert as activities resume.
The Impacts of Plastic Waste from Personal Protective Equipment Used during the COVID-19 Pandemic
This review analyzes the environmental impacts of personal protective equipment plastic waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic, examining how the unprecedented surge in PPE demand overwhelmed waste management systems and contributed to microplastic pollution.
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
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.
Water Quality and Water Pollution in Time of COVID-19: Positive and Negative Repercussions
This review assesses the positive and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on water quality across different continents. While lockdowns temporarily reduced some pollution, the pandemic also increased plastic waste from personal protective equipment and single-use items, contributing to microplastic contamination of water bodies.
Hazardous of plastics during COVID-19 on marine environment: a case study from Egypt
A study from Egypt documented how the COVID-19 pandemic increased single-use plastic pollution in marine environments, particularly from discarded gloves and masks. The study found these plastics accumulating along coastlines, introducing a new stream of microplastic precursors into already-burdened marine ecosystems.
COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) contamination in coastal areas of Granada, Spain
Researchers surveyed four Spanish beaches and found over 17,500 pieces of plastic waste, with COVID-19 face masks making up 92% of all personal protective equipment litter; plastic debris increased by 92% during vacation periods, illustrating how the pandemic compounded existing coastal plastic pollution.
¿Conoces las secuelas ambientales de la COVID-19?: microplásticos y su repercusión en el medio marino y la salud
This paper examines the environmental consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the increase in single-use plastic waste and microplastic pollution in Spanish-speaking regions. The authors call for greater public awareness and policy action to address these compounding environmental challenges.
What we need to know about PPE associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the marine environment
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.
Microplastics waste in environment: A perspective on recycling issues from PPE kits and face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic
This review examined how the massive increase in disposable face masks and PPE kits during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to microplastic pollution in rivers, lakes, and oceans. Researchers found that these items break down into microplastic fibers and fragments that are ingested by marine species and can affect both environmental and human health. The study calls for more research on the specific microplastic risks from pandemic-related protective equipment.
Microplastic pollution in the marine environment: Distribution factors and mitigation strategies in different oceans
This review analyzed the environmental factors affecting microplastic distribution across different ocean basins, including currents, wind patterns, and biological processes. Researchers found that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased plastic usage and microplastic generation worldwide. The study examines both the pathways through which microplastics reach the ocean and current mitigation strategies being developed to address marine plastic pollution.