Abstract
Single-use disposable facemasks have been used as a preventive measure against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, many researchers have found evidence that these facemasks are being dumped into lakes, rivers, and open garbage dumps. Facemasks have the potential of releasing microplastic fibers into the environment; a phenomenon that has been poorly investigated. Moreover, microplastic fibers composed of plastics have the potential of affecting the flora and fauna of many ecosystems. In this preliminary study, we investigate how many microplastic fibers had been released to the water by KF-AD, KF94, surgical, and FFP1 standard facemasks, which are the most widely available facemask standards in South Korea. The waterbody in our research was mechanically agitated for 24, 48, and 72 h. Findings showed that most of the layers of facemasks are composed of polypropylene. The surgical and KF94 standard facemasks released the highest number of microplastic fibers. Furthermore, under our research conditions, a single facemask can release at least 47 microplastic fibers per day (e.g., KF-AD standard mask), which can lead to the release of at least 1381 million microplastic fibers per day in total in South Korea if 70% of the urban population uses a single mask every day. Moreover, the released microplastic fibers significantly increased when the agitation time extended from 24 to 48 h. This finding suggests that the number of released microplastic fibers is likely to increase drastically.
Highlights
With the onset of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, plastic demand attributable to medical waste has risen by 370%, while the packaging plastic demand has increased by 40% [1]
Tareq et al [5] argued that 3D-printed facemasks may solve the solid waste crisis associated with the single use facemasks because most of the 3D-printed facemasks were made from thermoplastic polymers that can be recycled
The aim of this study is to quantify the number of microplastic fibers released by different types of facemasks that are being used in South Korea
Summary
With the onset of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, plastic demand attributable to medical waste has risen by 370%, while the packaging plastic demand has increased by 40% [1]. De-la-Torre and Aragaw [3] and Aragaw [4] recently reported that facemasks contain polypropylene based on their Fourier transformation spectrometric analysis They suggested that polypropylene fibers may be released to the environment due to the mechanical stresses induced by water bodies. The risk of microplastic fibers released from facemasks should be quantified to alert the relevant authorities in devising the necessary responses. In this regard, Saliu et al [8] investigated the weathering effect of microplastic fibers released from facemasks in marine environments.
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