Every Month, 129 Billion Disposable Masks Are Used Worldwide

KOMPAS.com – Masks are important things that should not be forgotten during pandemic this. But apparently a very large demand for disposable mask also gave birth to new concerns.

Experts worry that the increasing use of disposable masks is not accompanied by management waste mask correctly and will pose a great threat to nature.

The reason is, quoting Independent, Tuesday (16/3/2021); Recent studies estimate that around 129 billion disposable masks worldwide are used each month. This means that the use of masks on the planet averages 2.8 million per minute.

Researchers warn that large volumes of masks with their plastic composition pose a growing environmental threat.

Also read: Disposable mask waste has the potential to transmit the corona virus, here’s how to get rid of it

They underlined that urgent action should be taken to prevent the next plastic problem.

Environmental toxicologist Elvis Genbo Xu of the University of Southern Denmark and professor Zhiyong Jason Ren, a civil and environmental engineering expert at Princeton University, said that disposable masks are plastic products that are difficult to biodegrade.

However, these plastic products can be fragmented into smaller plastic particles, namely micro and nanoplastics, which can be widely distributed in the ecosystem.

The production of disposable masks is on the same scale as plastic bottles which is estimated at 43 billion per month.

Also read: Becoming Waste During Pandemic, Experts Will Make Way Using Masks

But unlike plastic bottles, which are 25 percent recycled, the researchers say that there are no official guidelines for recycling masks, so they are likely to be disposed of in an inappropriate manner.

If they cannot be recycled, single-use masks can end up in the environment, freshwater systems, and the ocean, where weathering eventually produces a large number of micro-sized particles (smaller than 5mm). Further fragments will then make it a nanoplastic (smaller than 1 micrometer).

This process happens very quickly, even in a matter of weeks.

“As a result, when they are damaged in the environment, masks can release more micro-sized plastics, more easily and quickly than bulk plastics such as plastic bags,” said the researchers.

Even so, the researchers stress that they do not know exactly how masks contribute to the large number of plastic particles detected in the environment because there is no data on the degradation of masks in nature.

Also read: Wildlife Faces Threat of Disposable Mask Waste

“But we know that like other plastic waste, single-use masks can also accumulate and release harmful chemical and biological substances, such as bisphenol A, heavy metals and pathogenic micro-organisms,” said Dr Genbo Xu.

This can have an indirect negative impact on plants, animals and humans.

The researchers also urged to prepare a special mask trash can. In addition, they also encourage the use of reusable cloth masks, develop disposable masks that are biodegradable, and implement standard waste management for disposing of masks.

The research is published in the journal Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering.

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