Significant Fragmentation of Disposable Surgical Masks—Enormous Source for Problematic Micro/Nanoplastics Pollution in the Environment
Sustainability
; 14(19):12625, 2022.
Article
in English
| ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-2066440
ABSTRACT
The pandemic of COVID-19 disease has brought many challenges in the field of personal protective equipment. The amount of disposable surgical masks (DSMs) consumed increased dramatically, and much of it was improperly disposed of, i.e., it entered the environment. For this reason, it is crucial to accurately analyze the waste and identify all the hazards it poses. Therefore, in the present work, a DSM was disassembled, and gravimetric analysis of representative DSM waste was performed, along with detailed infrared spectroscopy of the individual parts and in-depth analysis of the waste. Due to the potential water contamination by micro/nanoplastics and also by other harmful components of DSMs generated during the leaching and photodegradation process, the xenon test and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure were used to analyze and evaluate the leaching of micro/nanoplastics. Micro/nanoplastic particles were leached from all five components of the mask in an aqueous medium. Exposed to natural conditions, a DSM loses up to 30% of its mass in just 1 month, while micro/nanoplastic particles are formed by the process of photodegradation. Improperly treated DSMs pose a potential hazardous risk to the environment due to the release of micro/nanoparticles and chloride ion content.
Environmental Studies; DSM; micro/nanoparticles; leaching; artificial weathering; environmental pollution; Pandemics; Aqueous solutions; Toxicity; Personal protective equipment; Nanoparticles; Photodegradation; Gravimetric analysis; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Water pollution; Water depth; Infrared analysis; Chloride ions; Masks; Contamination; COVID-19; Xenon; Polychlorinated biphenyls--PCB; Protective equipment; Wire; Aging; Infrared spectroscopy; Hazardous areas; Seawater; Toxicity testing; Hazard identification; Coronaviruses; Plastic pollution; Disease transmission; Europe; Slovenia
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
ProQuest Central
Language:
English
Journal:
Sustainability
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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