Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar:188:114681.
doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114681. Epub 2023 Feb 7.

Facemask: Protection or threat?

Ilah Dianne G Morales  1 , Edison D Macusi  2 , Manuel Anthony P Jondonero  3 , Jaime Q Guihawan  4 , Hernando P Bacosa  4 , Ruben F Amparado Jr  4
Affiliations

Facemask: Protection or threat?

Ilah Dianne G Morales et al. Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Facemasks were widely used as a protection against SARS-COV-2, which significantly reduced COVID-19 transmission during the pandemic. However, concerns have been raised regarding its adverse impacts on human health due to intense use and mismanagement. Although rampant plastic littering was the norm before the pandemic, the magnitude of the problem is worsening as potentially COVID-19-infected facemasks are thrown along the shoreline. This study assessed the discarded facemasks on the most popular beach destinations in Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines. A total of N = 284 discarded facemasks were found in a cumulative area of 22,500 m2, with an average density of 8.4 × 10-4 items/m2. The surgical facemask (82 %; n = 234) was the most abundant type of facemask found in the areas, followed by KF94 (16 %; n = 45) and KN95 (2 %; n = 5). The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences in the visual counts of facemasks on the three beaches (p < 0.05).

Keywords: Beaches; COVID-19 pandemic; Davao Oriental; Mati City; Personal protective equipment (PPE).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest 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

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of the sampling sites in Mati City, Philippines.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The number of facemasks found in the study sites.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Distribution of discarded facemasks on Mayo Beach (A), Dahican Beach (B), and Manggihay Beach (C).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The mean density of counted facemasks across the study sites. The error bars indicate the standard error of the mean.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Change in facemask density each day.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Photographs of different facemasks found in the study sites: (A-B) Surgical facemasks, (C) KF94 facemask, and (D) KN95 facemask.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Type of facemasks found in the study sites. The error bars indicate the standard error of the mean.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Signage about COVID-19 preventive measures, including mandatory use of facemasks (A), General waste sign and bin (B, C) Informally designated bins (D).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abbasi S.A., Khalil A.B., Arslan M. Extensive use of face masks during COVID-19 pandemic: (micro-)plastic pollution and potential health concerns in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi J. Biol. Sci. 2020;27(12):3181–3186. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.09.054. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abreo N., Kobayashi V. First evidence of marine litter associated with COVID-19 in Davao Gulf, Mindanao Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science. 2021;150(5):1145–1149. doi: 10.56899/150.05.23. - DOI
    1. Abreo N., Macusi E., Blatchley D., Cuenca G. Ingestion of Marine Plastic Debris by Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Davao Gulf, Mindanao, Philippines. Philipp. J. Sci. 2016;145(1):17–23.
    1. Aczel B., Kovacs M., Van Der Lippe T., Szaszi B. Researchers working from home: Benefits and challenges. PloS one. 2021;16(3) doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249127. eCollection 2021. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adusei-Gyamfi J., Boateng K.S., Sulemana A., Hogarh J.N. Post COVID-19 recovery: challenges and opportunities for solid waste management in Africa. Environ. Chall. 2022;100442 doi: 10.1016/j.envc.2022.100442. - DOI - PMC - PubMed