Environmental Impact of Surgical Masks Consumption in Italy Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Cornelio, Antonella; Zanoletti, Alessandra; Federici, Stefania; Ciacci, Luca; Depero, Laura E.; Bontempi, Elza

doi:10.3390/ma15062046

Cited by 15 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…In accordance with the hypotheses highlighted in [ 19 ], decontamination methods should not only demonstrate effective pathogen reduction but also preserve the properties of medical masks without harmful chemical effects for the user. In accordance with that, the whole and cut mask samples were analyzed for the presence and content of surfactants before and after the first and fifth wash cycle, depending on the composition of the applied detergents and DDAC.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Research has confirmed that disposable face masks belong not only to personal protective equipment (PPE) that greatly contributes to the protection of people [ 18 , 19 , 20 ] but also to the generation of textile waste [ 21 , 22 ]. The problem of the accumulation of textile waste gave rise to the idea of reusing medical masks after decontaminating them in the process of washing them with detergents at 60 °C and treating them with disinfectants, such as hydrogen peroxide, UV rays, moist heat, dry heat, ozone, ethanol, and sodium hypochlorite [ 7 , 19 , 20 , 23 , 24 ]. Decontamination procedures, along with effective pathogen reduction, should preserve the protective features of medical masks (filtration efficiency and breathability) without the harmful chemical effect on the user [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Extending the Protection Ability and Life Cycle of Medical Masks through the Washing Process

et al. 2023

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The reuse of decontaminated disposable medical face masks can contribute to reducing the environmental burden of discarded masks. This research is focused on the effect of household and laboratory washing at 50 °C on the quality and functionality of the nonwoven structure of polypropylene medical masks by varying the washing procedure, bath composition, disinfectant agent, and number of washing cycles as a basis for reusability. The barrier properties of the medical mask were analyzed before and after the first and fifth washing cycle indirectly by measuring the contact angle of the liquid droplets with the front and back surface of the mask, further by measuring air permeability and determining antimicrobial resistance. Additional analysis included FTIR, pH of the material surface and aqueous extract, as well as the determination of residual substances—surfactants—in the aqueous extract of washed versus unwashed medical masks, while their aesthetic aspect was examined by measuring their spectral characteristics. The results showed that household washing had a stronger impact on the change of some functional properties, primarily air permeability, than laboratory washing. The addition of the disinfectant agent, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, contributes to the protective ability and supports the idea that washing of medical masks under controlled conditions can preserve barrier properties and enable reusability.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending the Protection Ability and Life Cycle of Medical Masks through the Washing Process

et al. 2023

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“…Still, in this study the effect of laces is negligible. To calculate the overall environmental impact of those facial mask productions, if we consider only the case of Italy as an example, it is necessary to calculate the number of masks needed for each person in the country, and some hypotheses were made by Cornelio et al (2022). Assuming that the masks should be changed every eight hours, for workers it was considered two masks per day, for five days/week and one mask/per day during the weekend.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon footprint of FFP2 protective facial masks against SARS-CoV-2 used in the food sector: effect of materials and dry sanitisation

Giungato

Moramarco

Rana

et al. 2023

BFJ

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PurposeInternational outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 infection has fostered the Italian government to impose the FFP2 protective facial masks in closed environments, including bar, restaurants and, more in general, in the food sector. Protective facial masks are rocketing, both in mass and in costs, in the food sector imposing efforts in fostering reuse strategies and in the achievement of sustainable development goals. The scope of the present paper is to depict possible strategies in manufacturing and reuse strategies that can reduce the carbon footprint (CF) of such devices.Design/methodology/approachTo implement circular economy strategies in the protective facial masks supply chain, it was considered significant to move towards a study of the environmental impact of such devices, and therefore a CF study has been performed on an FFP2 facial mask used in the food sector. Different materials besides the mostly used polypropylene (PP) (polyethylene (PE), polycarbonate (PC), poly (lactic acid) (PLA), cotton, polyurethane (PUR), polystyrene (PS) and nylon 6,6) and different sanitisation alternatives as reuse strategies (both laboratory and homemade static oven, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) readily implemented have been modelled to calculate the CF of a single use of an FFP2 mask.FindingsThe production of textiles in PP, followed by disposal was the main contributor to CF of the single-use FFP2 mask, followed by packaging and transportations. PP and PE were the least impacting, PC, cotton and Nylon 6-6 of the same weight results the worst. PLA has an impact greater than PP and PE obtained from crude oil, followed by PUR and PS. Static laboratory oven obtained an 80.4% reduction of CF with respect to single use PP-made FFP2 mask, whereas homemade oven obtained a similar 82.2% reduction; UV cabinet is the best option, showing an 89.9% reduction.Research limitations/implicationsThe key strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of the masks (research for new materials and reuse with sanitisation) should ensure both the retention of filtering capacities and the sanitary sterility of the reused ones. Future developments should include evaluations of textile recycling impacts, using new materials and the evaluation of the life cycle costs of the reused masks.Practical implicationsThis paper intends to provide to stakeholders (producers, consumers and policy makers) the tools to choose the best option for producing and reuse environmentally friendly protective facial masks to be used in the food sector, by using both different materials and easily implemented reuse strategies.Social implicationsThe reduction of the CF of protective facial masks in the food sector surely will have relevant positive effects on climate change contributing to reach the goals of reducing CO2 emissions. The food sector may promote sustainable practices and attract a niche piece of clients particularly sensible to such themes.Originality/valueThe paper has two major novelties. The first one is the assessment of the CF of a single use of an FFP2 mask made with different materials of the non-woven filtering layers; as the major contribution to the CF of FFP2 masks is related to the non-woven textiles manufacturing, the authors test some other different materials, including PLA. The second is the assessment of the CF of one single use of a sanitised FFP2 mask, using different sanitation technologies as those allowed in bars or restaurants.

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“…According to Kumar et al [ 43 ], transporting a 10-ton of PPE waste—including face masks, to a 10 km disposal site could result in a GWP impact of 2.76 kg CO 2 Eq. In addition, improper treatments and disposal of the facemask is also a factor that contributes to GHG emission [ 44 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Face mask and medical waste generation in the City of Baguio, Philippines: its current management and GHG footprint

Lunag

Abana

Agcaoili

et al. 2023

J Mater Cycles Waste Manag

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The daily use of facemask to prevent virus transmission increases the negative effect on the environment because of improper waste disposal. Due to the absence of baseline data, the impact of facemask and medical waste generation, as well as the community’s management practice, should be studied to avoid further environmental degradation. In this study, we surveyed 384 respondents and conducted computational analysis to provide an overview of the household’s facemask usage and ecological footprint in combating Covid-19. Results showed that most respondents (48.7%) use two facemasks per day. Thus, an estimated 417,834 facemasks are disposed daily, generating 3,585 kg/day of additional waste. The average medical waste of Covid-infected individuals is 3.29 kg per day per capita. This yields 22,438 kg. of CO 2 eq., which could contribute to the global warming potential; however, there is also a potential recovery of 61.572 gigajoules of energy for power generation. Most respondents are aware of proper facemask waste management practices, but some lacks application regarding responsible waste disposal. Despite the contribution of facemask to the overall solid waste generation, the city’s current management remains a challenge since disposable facemasks are potentially mixed with other types of waste from its storage, collection, and disposal. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10163-023-01601-2.

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Environmental Impact of Surgical Masks Consumption in Italy Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 15 publications

References 26 publications

Extending the Protection Ability and Life Cycle of Medical Masks through the Washing Process

Extending the Protection Ability and Life Cycle of Medical Masks through the Washing Process

Carbon footprint of FFP2 protective facial masks against SARS-CoV-2 used in the food sector: effect of materials and dry sanitisation

Face mask and medical waste generation in the City of Baguio, Philippines: its current management and GHG footprint

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