College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University and Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China.
Department of Dermatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, PR China.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 Oct 10;790:148130. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148130. Epub 2021 May 29.
There have been many studies on the microplastic pollution, influence and control mechanisms of different plastic products. The potential harm of microplastic pollution to the environment has been confirmed. With the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 in the world, disposable surgical masks as effective and cheap protective medical equipment have been widely used by the public. Disposable masks have been a new social norm, but they must have a sense of environmental responsibilities. The random disposal of masks may result in new and greater microplastic pollution, because masks made of polymer materials would release microplastics after entering the environment. Current results showed that masks are a potential and easily overlooked source of environmental microplastics. The release amount of microplastics in the static water by one mask was 360 items, and with the increase of vibration rate, the release amount also increased. The addition of organic solvents (detergent and alcohol) in water would increase the release of microplastics from masks. When the mask became fragments, the ability to release microplastic fibers into the environment was greatly improved due to the increase of exposure area. After two months of natural weathering, the masks become very fragile pieces and microplastics. A fully weathered mask could release several billions of microplastic fibers into the aquatic environment once these fragile fragments enter the water without reservation. The rapid growth of mask production and consumption and improper disposable is worrying. It is urgent to understand the potential environmental risks and significance of masks.
已经有许多研究关注不同塑料产品的微塑料污染、影响和控制机制。微塑料污染对环境的潜在危害已经得到证实。随着 COVID-19 在全球的爆发和传播,一次性医用外科口罩作为有效且廉价的防护医疗设备被公众广泛使用。一次性口罩已经成为一种新的社会规范,但人们必须有环境责任意识。随意丢弃口罩可能会导致新的、更大的微塑料污染,因为聚合物材料制成的口罩进入环境后会释放微塑料。目前的研究结果表明,口罩是一种潜在且容易被忽视的环境微塑料来源。一个口罩在静态水中释放的微塑料数量为 360 个,随着振动频率的增加,释放量也会增加。水中添加有机溶剂(清洁剂和酒精)会增加口罩释放的微塑料数量。当口罩变成碎片时,由于暴露面积的增加,其将微塑料纤维释放到环境中的能力大大提高。经过两个月的自然风化后,这些完全风化的口罩一旦进入水中,其非常脆弱的碎片就会释放出数十亿根微塑料纤维。口罩生产和消费的迅速增长以及不当的一次性处理令人担忧。迫切需要了解口罩的潜在环境风险和意义。