Risks of Covid-19 face masks to wildlife: Present and future research needs
TL;DR: In this article, a critical review of COVID-19 face mask occurrence in diverse environments and their adverse physiological and ecotoxicological effects on wildlife is provided, as well as potential remediation strategies to mitigate the environmental challenge imposed by COVID19-related litter.
About: This article is published in Science of The Total Environment.The article was published on 2021-10-20 and is currently open access. It has received 66 citations till now.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a sanitary measure against the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has become a significant source of many environmental risks.
67 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors provide a quick update on the research conducted to date of this topic, as well as to identify priorities for future research, and analyze recent global peer-reviewed articles on personal protection equipment (PPE) to synthesize methods, control measures, and documented evidence to investigate the discarded PPE in a variety of environments.
65 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a quick update on the research conducted to date of this topic, as well as to identify priorities for future research, and analyze recent global peer-reviewed articles on PPE to synthesize methods, control measures, and documented evidence to investigate the discarded PPE in a variety of environments; determine the microplastics discharge in the aquatic environment; examine the intentionally or unintentionally added chemicals in the production of PPE; and assess potential human health hazards and exposure pathways.
65 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the challenges raised in the pandemic scenario on landfills and discussed the potential environmental and health implications that might drive us apart from the 2030 U.N sustainable goals.
62 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors monitored the occurrence and density of face masks on five tourist beaches along the Moroccan Mediterranean during five months starting from February until June 2021, and a total of 321 face masks were recorded on the five beaches, 96.27% of which were single use.
55 citations
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TL;DR: Pits visualized in the PMD surface conformed to bacterial shapes suggesting active hydrolysis of the hydrocarbon polymer, implying that plastic serves as a novel ecological habitat in the open ocean.
Abstract: Plastics are the most abundant form of marine debris, with global production rising and documented impacts in some marine environments, but the influence of plastic on open ocean ecosystems is poorly understood, particularly for microbial communities. Plastic marine debris (PMD) collected at multiple locations in the North Atlantic was analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and next-generation sequencing to characterize the attached microbial communities. We unveiled a diverse microbial community of heterotrophs, autotrophs, predators, and symbionts, a community we refer to as the “Plastisphere”. Pits visualized in the PMD surface conformed to bacterial shapes suggesting active hydrolysis of the hydrocarbon polymer. Small-subunit rRNA gene surveys identified several hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, supporting the possibility that microbes play a role in degrading PMD. Some Plastisphere members may be opportunistic pathogens (the authors, unpublished data) such as specific members of the genus Vib...
1,789 citations
TL;DR: This manuscript aims to reach a consensus on a definition for microplastics which can be useful for research, reporting and legislative purposes and considers physical and chemical defining properties.
789 citations
TL;DR: This review highlights the recent findings attributed to the biodegradability of bioplastics in various environments, environmental conditions, degree of biodegradation, including the identified bioplastic-degrading microorganisms from different microbial communities.
618 citations
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: In future records of interactions between marine debris and wildlife, it is recommended to focus on standardized data on frequency of occurrence and quantities of debris ingested, to allow more detailed assessments of the deleterious effects of marine debris on individuals and populations.
Abstract: In this review we report new findings concerning interaction between marine debris and wildlife. Deleterious effects and consequences of entanglement, consumption and smothering are highlighted and discussed. The number of species known to have been affected by either entanglement or ingestion of plastic debris has doubled since 1997, from 267 to 557 species among all groups of wildlife. For marine turtles the number of affected species increased from 86 to 100 % (now 7 of 7 species), for marine mammals from 43 to 66 % (now 81 of 123 species) and for seabirds from 44 to 50 % of species (now 203 of 406 species). Strong increases in records were also listed for fish and invertebrates, groups that were previously not considered in detail. In future records of interactions between marine debris and wildlife we recommend to focus on standardized data on frequency of occurrence and quantities of debris ingested. In combination with dedicated impact studies in the wild or experiments, this will allow more detailed assessments of the deleterious effects of marine debris on individuals and populations.
614 citations
TL;DR: There is a need to assess alternatives that allow reductions of PPE and reinforce awareness on the proper public use and disposal, and assessment of contamination and impacts of plastics driven by the pandemic will be required once the outbreak ends.
Abstract: Plastics are essential in society as a widely available and inexpensive material. Mismanagement of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a monthly estimated use of 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves globally, is resulting in widespread environmental contamination. This poses a risk to public health as waste is a vector for SARS-CoV-2 virus, which survives up to 3 days on plastics, and there are also broad impacts to ecosystems and organisms. Concerns over the role of reusable plastics as vectors for SARS-CoV-2 virus contributed to the reversal of bans on single-use plastics, highly supported by the plastic industry. While not underestimating the importance of plastics in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission, it is imperative not to undermine recent progress made in the sustainable use of plastics. There is a need to assess alternatives that allow reductions of PPE and reinforce awareness on the proper public use and disposal. Finally, assessment of contamination and impacts of plastics driven by the pandemic will be required once the outbreak ends.
582 citations