Environmental impacts of covid-19 pandemic: Release of microplastics, organic contaminants and trace metals from face masks under ambient environmental conditions.

ABSTRACT: The covid-19 pandemic era was characterized by heavy usage and disposal of medical face masks, now estimated at over 1.24 trillion. Few studies had attempted to demonstrate the release of microplastics from face masks using simulated conditions and application of mechanical forces, far different from the effects experienced by face masks dumped in the open environment, in landfills and dumpsites. In the current study, we monitored the release of microplastics, organic contaminants and toxic metals from medical face masks degraded under normal outdoor environmental conditions, over a period of 60 weeks. We showed that face mask's decomposition proceeded via sunlight (UV) - initiated oxidative degradation, leading to the replacement of methylene (CH₂-) and alkyl (CH₃-)

SUBMITTER: Idowu GA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9699709 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature