All Those COVID Masks Are Leaching Chemicals

Millions of discarded face masks from the COVID-19 pandemic are now breaking down, creating an environmental hazard that could linger for generations, a study warns. Researchers from Coventry University found that the billions of plastic-based masks used globally, which were meant to protect people from the virus, are now releasing microplastics and chemicals into the environment, per the Guardian. Most of these masks, made from polypropylene and similar plastics, were not recycled. Instead, they ended up in landfills or as litter in urban and natural settings and began to degrade.

Anna Bogush and her colleague Ivan Kourtchev, authors of the study published in Environmental Pollution, tested various mask types by soaking them in purified water for a day. All masks released microplastics, but the highest quantities came from FFP2 and FFP3 masks, considered top-tier for virus protection. The majority of these particles were under 100 micrometers in size, or the width of a human hair, making them easily transportable in the environment, per a release. The masks also released bisphenol B, a chemical known to disrupt hormones in humans and animals. By examining the total production of single-use masks during the pandemic, the researchers estimate that hundreds of pounds of bisphenol B were released each day into the environment.