Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Water, 46.7 Km Athens Sounio, Mavro Lithari, P.O. Box 19013, Anavissos, Attica, Greece.
Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Water, 46.7 Km Athens Sounio, Mavro Lithari, P.O. Box 19013, Anavissos, Attica, Greece.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Aug;181:113883. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113883. Epub 2022 Jul 4.
Face masks have been adopted as an essential measure to prevent transmission and spread of the virus infection during the pandemic of Covid-19. The present study evaluates the potential microfibers transfer from face masks to other recipients and the potential cross-contamination of samples by microfibers released from masks worn during the analysis of microlitter ingestion by fish. Results indicated that masks could easily transfer endogenous (originated from the mask tissue itself) and exogenous microfibers (with a different origin than the mask tissue itself) to other recipients (adhesive tape and air in our experiment). Exogenous fibers may be carried from everywhere and potentially released everywhere. Microfibers are also released into the air, driven by the airflow generated by breathing, and can be transferred to blanks and samples. Microfiber contamination by facial masks increases the risk of samples cross-contamination and raises concerns about the results reliability of the microlitter analysis on marine biota.
口罩已被采用为预防新冠病毒感染在大流行期间传播和扩散的基本措施。本研究评估了口罩向其他接受者转移潜在微纤维的可能性，以及口罩在分析鱼类吞食微污染物时释放的微纤维对样本的潜在交叉污染。结果表明，口罩很容易将内源性（来源于口罩组织本身）和外源性微纤维（与口罩组织本身不同源）转移到其他接受者（在我们的实验中是胶带和空气）。外源性纤维可能来自任何地方，并可能在任何地方释放。微纤维也会在气流的推动下释放到空气中，并可转移到空白和样品中。口罩的微纤维污染增加了样品交叉污染的风险，并引起了对海洋生物群微污染物分析结果可靠性的关注。
