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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Impact of coronavirus pandemic litters on microfiber pollution—effect of personal protective equipment and disposable face masks
ClearFace masks: a COVID-19 protector or environmental contaminant?
This review examined how the massive global use of disposable face masks during COVID-19 has created a significant source of microplastic pollution, with billions of masks entering the environment and releasing plastic fibers and chemical contaminants.
Covid-19 face masks: A potential source of microplastic fibers in the environment
This commentary highlights that the massive global increase in disposable face mask production during the COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant new source of microplastic fiber pollution, as mask materials shed synthetic fibers into the environment.
Microfiber releasing into urban rivers from face masks during COVID-19
Researchers investigated microfiber release from discarded face masks in urban rivers during COVID-19, finding that masks shed substantial quantities of synthetic microfibers that contribute to freshwater microplastic contamination.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) disposal during COVID-19: An emerging source of microplastic and microfiber pollution in the environment
This review examines how discarded personal protective equipment from the COVID-19 pandemic has become a new source of microplastic and microfiber pollution. Researchers found that single-use masks, gloves, and other PPE break down into tiny plastic particles that contaminate water, soil, and air. The study highlights the environmental trade-off of pandemic safety measures and calls for better waste management strategies for healthcare materials.
The COVID-19 pandemic face mask waste: A blooming threat to the marine environment.
This review examines how single-use face masks — billions of which were discarded during the COVID-19 pandemic — contribute to microplastic and microfiber pollution in marine environments when improperly disposed of. The pandemic created a massive new source of plastic pollution, with masks breaking down into microplastics and releasing chemical contaminants in the ocean.
Global face mask pollution: threats to the environment and wildlife, and potential solutions
Researchers reviewed the global face mask pollution crisis following COVID-19, estimating massive production volumes and finding that most disposal pathways generate secondary microplastic pollution or toxic emissions, and proposing countermeasures including biodegradable mask development and improved waste management policy.
Wet wipes contribution to microfiber contamination under COVID-19 era: An important but overlooked problem
Researchers highlight that the surge in wet wipe use during COVID-19 — for disinfection and medical purposes — has become an overlooked but significant source of microfiber pollution, with wipes already turning up in marine plastic litter surveys. They call for dedicated studies on how different wipe materials shed fibers and degrade under environmental conditions to fully account for pandemic-related plastic pollution.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) pollution driven by COVID-19 pandemic in Marina Beach, the longest urban beach in Asia: Abundance, distribution, and analytical characterization.
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.
Laundering of face masks represents an additional source of synthetic and natural microfibers to aquatic ecosystems
Researchers measured microfibers released from five types of reusable and disposable face masks during a single machine-washing cycle, finding an average of 285 microfibers per mask, with cotton-based masks releasing the most natural fibers and polyurethane masks releasing the most synthetic ones.
COVID-19 Generated Personal Protective Equipment: Sources of Microplastics and Pathogen Vectors in Marine Environments?
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.
Uncovering the Release of Micro/nanoplastics from Disposable Face Masks at Times of COVID-19
Researchers found that disposable face masks release significant amounts of micro- and nanoplastic particles when subjected to water exposure and mechanical stress similar to environmental conditions. This confirms that the massive use of masks during COVID-19 introduced new sources of microplastic pollution into the environment.
Masks and the scourge of microplastic pollution
This commentary discusses how the widespread use of disposable face masks during COVID-19 has become a significant source of microplastic pollution, particularly from masks improperly discarded outside of hospital settings. The authors call attention to the environmental burden of mask litter as a growing global concern.
Facemasks: A Looming Microplastic Crisis
Single-use disposable face masks were shown to shed microplastic fibers during use and degradation, with billions of masks improperly discarded globally during the COVID-19 pandemic entering aquatic environments and releasing polypropylene and polyurethane fibers, adding a new and large-scale source of microplastic contamination.
Impact of microfiber pollution on aquatic biota: A critical analysis of effects and preventive measures
This review examines how microfibers from textiles, face masks, and other personal protective equipment are polluting aquatic environments, a problem worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Microfibers enter waterways through washing machines and waste treatment plants, where they can be ingested by aquatic organisms. The authors highlight the urgent need for better filtration technologies and waste management to reduce microfiber contamination in oceans and freshwater systems.
Wet wipes and disposable surgical masks are becoming new sources of fiber microplastic pollution during global COVID-19
Wet wipes and disposable surgical masks were identified as growing sources of microplastic fiber pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic, with environmental degradation of these products releasing billions of synthetic fibers into water and soil environments.
Release of microfibers from surgical face masks: an undesirable contributor to aquatic pollution
Researchers found that surgical face masks release large quantities of microfibers when exposed to aqueous conditions, identifying masks — whose global use surged during the COVID-19 pandemic — as a significant and underappreciated source of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.
Single-use surgical face masks, as a potential source of microplastics: Do they act as pollutant carriers?
Researchers investigated whether single-use surgical face masks, widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, are a potential source of microplastic fibers released into the environment. The study found that used masks entering uncontrolled waste streams can shed fibrous microplastics.
Lockdown Litter: A critical analysis of global COVID-19 PPE litter and measures for mitigation
This global analysis examined the scale and distribution of COVID-19 PPE litter, finding evidence of significant plastic pollution from masks, gloves, and wipes discarded during the pandemic. Improperly disposed PPE is expected to fragment into microplastics that will persist in the environment for decades.
Microplastics from face masks: A potential hazard post Covid-19 pandemic
Researchers quantified the annual face mask usage and associated plastic waste across 36 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, estimating total annual mask usage exceeding 1.5 million tonnes and associated plastic waste of approximately 4.2 million tonnes. The study highlights that global COVID-19 responses substantially increased environmental microplastic burdens from single-use face mask disposal.
Neglected microplastics pollution in global COVID-19: Disposable surgical masks
Researchers found that disposable surgical masks release approximately 360 microplastic particles in still water, with the number increasing significantly under agitation or when exposed to detergents and alcohol. After just two months of natural weathering, the masks became fragile enough to potentially release billions of microplastic fibers upon entering water. The study highlights that pandemic-related mask waste represents a substantial and largely overlooked new source of microplastic pollution.
Global daily mask use estimation in the pandemic and its post environmental health risks: Analysis based on a validated dynamic mathematical model
Researchers developed a mathematical model to estimate daily disposable mask usage across 214 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and projected how discarded masks contribute to microplastic pollution. The model estimated billions of masks were used daily at peak periods, releasing massive quantities of microplastic fibers as they degrade. The study provides a tool for policymakers to assess the long-term environmental health risks of pandemic-related plastic waste.
Review on personal protective equipment: Emerging concerns in micro(nano)plastic pollution and strategies for addressing environmental challenges
This review examines how the massive increase in disposable masks, gloves, and other protective equipment during COVID-19 has become a major new source of microplastic pollution. An estimated 1.6 million tons of plastic waste per day was generated from discarded protective equipment, and as this gear breaks down, it releases micro- and nanoplastic particles into soil and water. These particles can accumulate in seafood and other organisms, creating another pathway for human microplastic exposure.
Uncontrolled Disposal of Used Masks Resulting in Release of Microplastics and Co-Pollutants into Environment
This review documented the global distribution of discarded COVID-19 masks in terrestrial and aquatic environments and quantified the microplastics they release through degradation, finding that masks generate predominantly polypropylene fibers and fragments. The co-release of chemical additives from degrading mask materials was identified as an additional pollution concern beyond the MPs themselves.
Post-pandemic micro/nanoplastic pollution: Toward a sustainable management
Researchers reviewed how the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to micro- and nanoplastic pollution through the massive use of disposable personal protective equipment like masks and gloves. The study found that weathering of these items releases microplastics into the environment and may even serve as carriers for pathogens. The review calls for more sustainable waste management approaches in preparing for future health crises.