DISPOSABLE MASK AWARENESS

Disposable masks pose threat toward environment

Around mid-March 2020 schools throughout the country shut down, and lockdowns ensued across the globe to accommodate the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Toiletries and cleaning supplies suddenly became scarce as people stocked up to reduce trips to the grocery store. On top of it all, a new product became necessary—the face mask.

As the contagiousness of COVID-19 became apparent, spread in part through tiny respiratory droplets released into the air from a person’s mouth when they cough, sneeze or speak, the need for masks developed. Types of masks vary, but while cloth coverings and face shields can be cleaned and used again, N95 professional grade masks and surgical masks are non-reusable after three to four days, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, resulting in new and excessive amounts of trash produced as a result of COVID-19 guidelines.

Disposable masks are to the environment what the pandemic is to the general population—an immediate and large-scale health concern. According to a report in American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science and Technology Journal, nearly 129 billion face masks and 65 billion latex gloves are used and discarded per month. Although a portion of this personal protection equipment (PPE) makes it to a trash can, global environmental conservation organizations, such as the Marine Conservation Society and Ocean Conservancy, have noticed extreme spikes in ocean pollution because of waste from PPE that end up as litter. Masks and gloves are very lightweight and therefore can be moved away from their designated location by intense wind or rain. It’s safe to assume, however, that out of the 129 billion used disposable masks, a significant portion is a direct outcome of littering.

This new type of debris largely harms the ocean ecosystem, according to conservation institution OceansAsia, who reported an estimated 1.56 billion masks were discarded into oceans across the globe in 2020. Disposable surgical masks pose a threat to ocean wildlife, as they take centuries to decompose and can potentially ensnare animals. Specifically, the straps on a mask can injure small animals if caught on their limbs, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Dolphins and sea turtles, who venture close to shore, chance ingesting a mask, mistaking it for a small crustacean or fish. PPE also presents the same issue to larger animals; the accumulation of said plastics can appear as a source of food and be swallowed, leading to internal stomach damage. The entire ocean animal life system is at risk because of the introduction of devices to protect people from COVID-19.

The real question becomes apparent: are we putting people’s health above the prosperity of the environment? It appears so, by the treatment of the ocean ecosystem during the pandemic. Combating habitat deterioration has been an uphill battle only exacerbated by the climate crisis and although PPE is a necessity right now, disregarding the effects of these products leads to short-term and longterm maltreatment of the environment. Although disposing one mask may have minuscule impacts, it adds to the over 5.25 trillion other pieces of trash already contaminating the ocean. Additionally, OceansAsia further reported masks take up to 450 years to decompose, surpassing the lifespans of people alive today. The debris we leave behind pose a threat now, and will remain an obstacle for future generations. One improperly disposed mask may have no impacts, but if everyone adopted this mindset, mask waste empirics increase exponentially. Instead of leaving the planet with a heaping plastic quandary, a solution so achievable starts the path to improvement.

The real question becomes apparent: are we putting people’s health above the prosperity of the environment?