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Review
. 2023 Apr;11(2):109308.
doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2023.109308. Epub 2023 Jan 11.

Current knowledge on the presence, biodegradation, and toxicity of discarded face masks in the environment

Ana M Oliveira  1 , Ana L Patrício Silva  2 , Amadeu M V M Soares  2 , Damià Barceló  3   4 , Armando C Duarte  5 , Teresa Rocha-Santos  5
Affiliations
Review

Current knowledge on the presence, biodegradation, and toxicity of discarded face masks in the environment

Ana M Oliveira et al. J Environ Chem Eng. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, facemasks became mandatory, with a great preference for disposable ones. However, the benefits of face masks for health safety are counteracted by the environmental burden related to their improper disposal. An unprecedented influx of disposable face masks entering the environment has been reported in the last two years of the pandemic, along with their implications in natural environments in terms of their biodegradability, released contaminants and ecotoxicological effects. This critical review addresses several aspects of the current literature regarding the (bio)degradation and (eco)toxicity of face masks related contaminants, identifying uncertainties and research needs that should be addressed in future studies. While it is indisputable that face mask contamination contributes to the already alarming plastic pollution, we are still far from determining its real environmental and ecotoxicological contribution to the issue. The paucity of studies on biodegradation and ecotoxicity of face masks and related contaminants, and the uncertainties and uncontrolled variables involved during experimental procedures, are compromising eventual comparison with conventional plastic debris. Studies on the abundance and composition of face mask-released contaminants (microplastics/fibres/ chemical compounds) under pre- and post-pandemic conditions should, therefore, be encouraged, along with (bio)degradation and ecotoxicity tests considering environmentally relevant settings. To achieve this, methodological strategies should be developed to overcome technical difficulties to quantify and characterise the smallest MPs and fibres, adsorbents, and leachates to increase the environmental relevancy of the experimental conditions.

Keywords: Biodegradation; Face masks; Microplastics; Plastic pollution; Protective equipment; Toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

ga1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
: Estimated global share of face masks discarded as Covid-19 waste per country.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Exemplification of the main degradation type according to the environment. A) water; B) soil.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
: Potential implications of face masks and their contaminants on aquatic and terrestrial environments, and on human health.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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