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Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage

The widespread use of disposable face masks as a preventative strategy to address transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been a key environmental concern since the pandemic began. This has led to an unprecedented new form of contamination from improperly disposed masks, which liberates significant...

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Main Authors:	Li, Alice Sim Hui, Sathishkumar, Palanivel, Selahuddeen, Muhammad Luqman, Wan Mahmood, Wan M. Asyraf, Zainal Abidin, Mohamad Hamdi, Abdul Wahab, Roswanira, Mohamed Huri, Mohamad Afiq, Abdullah, Faizuan
Format:	Article
Published:	Elsevier Ltd 2022
Subjects:	QD Chemistry
Online Access:	http://eprints.utm.my/103740/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119674
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id	my.utm.103740
record_format	eprints
spelling	my.utm.1037402023-11-23T08:51:33Z http://eprints.utm.my/103740/ Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage Li, Alice Sim Hui Sathishkumar, Palanivel Selahuddeen, Muhammad Luqman Wan Mahmood, Wan M. Asyraf Zainal Abidin, Mohamad Hamdi Abdul Wahab, Roswanira Mohamed Huri, Mohamad Afiq Abdullah, Faizuan QD Chemistry The widespread use of disposable face masks as a preventative strategy to address transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been a key environmental concern since the pandemic began. This has led to an unprecedented new form of contamination from improperly disposed masks, which liberates significant amounts of heavy metals and toxic chemicals in addition to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Therefore, this study monitored the liberation of heavy metals, VOCs, and microfibers from submerged disposable face masks at different pH (4, 7 and 12), to simulate distinct environmental conditions. Lead (3.238% ppb), cadmium (0.672 ppb) and chromium (0.786 ppb) were found in the analyzed leachates. By pyrolysis, 2,4-dimethylhept-1-ene and 4-methylheptane were identified as the VOCs produced by the samples. The chemically degraded morphology in the FESEM images provided further evidence that toxic heavy metals and volatile organic compounds had been leached from the submerged face masks, with greater degradation observed in samples submerged at pH 7 and higher. The results are seen to communicate the comparable danger of passively degrading disposable face masks and the release of micro- or nanofibers into the marine environment. The toxicity of certain heavy metals and chemicals released from discarded face masks warrants better, more robust manufacturing protocols and increased public awareness for responsible disposal to reduce the adverse impact on ecology and human health. Elsevier Ltd 2022 Article PeerReviewed Li, Alice Sim Hui and Sathishkumar, Palanivel and Selahuddeen, Muhammad Luqman and Wan Mahmood, Wan M. Asyraf and Zainal Abidin, Mohamad Hamdi and Abdul Wahab, Roswanira and Mohamed Huri, Mohamad Afiq and Abdullah, Faizuan (2022) Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage. Environmental Pollution, 308 (NA). pp. 1-7. ISSN 0269-7491 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119674 DOI : 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119674
institution	Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
building	UTM Library
collection	Institutional Repository
continent	Asia
country	Malaysia
content_provider	Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
content_source	UTM Institutional Repository
url_provider	http://eprints.utm.my/
topic	QD Chemistry
spellingShingle	QD Chemistry Li, Alice Sim Hui Sathishkumar, Palanivel Selahuddeen, Muhammad Luqman Wan Mahmood, Wan M. Asyraf Zainal Abidin, Mohamad Hamdi Abdul Wahab, Roswanira Mohamed Huri, Mohamad Afiq Abdullah, Faizuan Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage
description	The widespread use of disposable face masks as a preventative strategy to address transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been a key environmental concern since the pandemic began. This has led to an unprecedented new form of contamination from improperly disposed masks, which liberates significant amounts of heavy metals and toxic chemicals in addition to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Therefore, this study monitored the liberation of heavy metals, VOCs, and microfibers from submerged disposable face masks at different pH (4, 7 and 12), to simulate distinct environmental conditions. Lead (3.238% ppb), cadmium (0.672 ppb) and chromium (0.786 ppb) were found in the analyzed leachates. By pyrolysis, 2,4-dimethylhept-1-ene and 4-methylheptane were identified as the VOCs produced by the samples. The chemically degraded morphology in the FESEM images provided further evidence that toxic heavy metals and volatile organic compounds had been leached from the submerged face masks, with greater degradation observed in samples submerged at pH 7 and higher. The results are seen to communicate the comparable danger of passively degrading disposable face masks and the release of micro- or nanofibers into the marine environment. The toxicity of certain heavy metals and chemicals released from discarded face masks warrants better, more robust manufacturing protocols and increased public awareness for responsible disposal to reduce the adverse impact on ecology and human health.
format	Article
author	Li, Alice Sim Hui Sathishkumar, Palanivel Selahuddeen, Muhammad Luqman Wan Mahmood, Wan M. Asyraf Zainal Abidin, Mohamad Hamdi Abdul Wahab, Roswanira Mohamed Huri, Mohamad Afiq Abdullah, Faizuan
author_facet	Li, Alice Sim Hui Sathishkumar, Palanivel Selahuddeen, Muhammad Luqman Wan Mahmood, Wan M. Asyraf Zainal Abidin, Mohamad Hamdi Abdul Wahab, Roswanira Mohamed Huri, Mohamad Afiq Abdullah, Faizuan
author_sort	Li, Alice Sim Hui
title	Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage
title_short	Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage
title_full	Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage
title_fullStr	Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage
title_full_unstemmed	Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage
title_sort	adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage
publisher	Elsevier Ltd
publishDate	2022
url	http://eprints.utm.my/103740/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119674
_version_	1783876409108725760
score	13.211869

Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage

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