COVID-19 pandemic-related drugs and microplastics from mask fibers jointly affect soil functions and processes.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented increase in pharmaceutical drug consumption and plastic waste disposal from personal protective equipment. Most drugs consumed during the COVID-19 pandemic were used to treat other human and animal diseases. Hence, their nearly ubiquitous presence in the soil and the sharp increase in the last 3 years led us to investigate their potential impact on the environment. Similarly, the compulsory use of face masks has led to an enormous amount of plastic waste. Our study aims to investigate the combined effects of COVID-19 drugs and microplastics from FFP2 face masks on important soil processes using soil microcosm experiments. We used three null models (additive, multiplicative, and dominative models) to indicate potential interactions among dif

SUBMITTER: Dela Cruz J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11364614 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature