The COVID-19 pandemic face mask waste: A blooming threat to the marine environment

Dharmaraj, Selvakumar; Ashokkumar, Veeramuthu; Hariharan, S. Vasumathy; Manibharathi, Akila; Show, Pau Loke; Chong, Cheng Tung; Ngamcharussrivichai, Chawalit

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129601

Cited by 236 publications

(144 citation statements)

References 120 publications

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“…Thus, cultural roots may conceal the impact of vaccination on people wearing masks and the limitation is discussed in research limitation part. As discussed above, many studies have also confirmed the importance of wearing masks and health-protective measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 (65)(66)(67). Therefore, it is believed that under strict health-protective measures, the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 is relatively low, and the time of COVID-19 vaccination can be delayed.…”

Section: Estimation Of Participants Selecting the Covid-19 Vaccinementioning

confidence: 94%

Investigating the Links Between Vaccination Against COVID-19 and Public Attitudes Toward Protective Countermeasures: Implications for Public Health

Yao

Zhang

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is spreading globally at an unprecedented rate. To protect the world against this devastating catastrophe, vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been produced following consistent clinical trials. However, the durability of a protective immune response due to vaccination has not been confirmed. Moreover, COVID-19 vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is not 100% guaranteed, as new variants arise due to mutations. Consequently, health officials are pleading with the public to take extra precautions against the virus and continue wearing masks, wash hands, and observe physical distancing even after vaccination. The current research collected data from 4,540 participants (1,825 vaccinated and 2,715 not vaccinated) in China to analyze this phenomenon empirically. The propensity score matching (PSM) model is employed to analyze the impact of vaccination against COVID-19 on participants' attitudes toward protective countermeasures. The findings showed that gender, age, education level, occupation risk, individual health risk perception, public health risk perception, social responsibility, peer effect, and government supervision are the main drivers for participants to be vaccinated with COVID-19's vaccines. The results further show that vaccination lessened participants' frequency of hand washing by 1.75 times and their compliance frequency intensity of observing physical distancing by 1.24 times. However, the rate of mask-wearing did not reduce significantly, implying that China's main countermeasure of effective mask-wearing effectively controls COVID-19. Moreover, the findings indicate that a reduction in the frequency of hand washing and observing physical distance could cause a resurgence of COVID-19. In conclusion, factors leading to the eradication of SARS-CoV-2 from the world are complex to be achieved, so the exploration of COVID-19 vaccination and people's attitude toward protective countermeasures may provide insights for policymakers to encourage vaccinated people to follow protective health measures and help in completely defeating the COVID-19 from the globe.

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Section: Estimation Of Participants Selecting the Covid-19 Vaccinementioning

confidence: 94%

Investigating the Links Between Vaccination Against COVID-19 and Public Attitudes Toward Protective Countermeasures: Implications for Public Health

Yao

Zhang

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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“…En la carrera por mantener la salud pública, se ha dejado a un lado la preocupación por el impacto de los residuos en la naturaleza. El manejo de los residuos y el reciclaje se han disminuido en los países, debido al temor al contagio del virus mientras que se producen más basuras (2). Aproximadamente 280 millones de toneladas de materiales plásticos se producen en el mundo anualmente y en su mayoría terminan en vertederos o en los océanos.…”

Section: Los Efectos Ambientales De La Pandemiaunclassified

Los efectos ambientales de la pandemia.

Espiñeira

2021

Rev Cienc Biomed

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Al tiempo que terminaban las baterías de fuegos artificiales y se alzaban copas para festejar el nuevo año 2020, se izaba silenciosa y terrible una amenaza sobre el mundo. La Covid-19, enfermedad infecciosa causada por el virus SARS-CoV- 2 apareció como una entidad zoonótica en Wuhan, China; se extendió por Asia, Europa y América; recorrió África y Oceanía y el 11 de marzo se declaró lo impensable: estábamos ante una pandemia. Se tomaron medidas extraordinarias para evitar la propagación de la nueva enfermedad Covid-19: higiene frecuente de manos, uso de antisépticos, distanciamiento social, detención del transporte público, confinamiento, trabajo remoto, toques de queda, cierre de ciudades y de fronteras. El personal de salud fue empujado al límite y obligado a llevar pesados y asfixiantes equipos de protección personal con mascarillas, guantes y ropas desechables. Se logró el objetivo de apagar el fuego en China, Corea y Singapur y se desató el voraz incendio en Estados Unidos, México y Brasil. La ciencia alzó su voz, se desarrollaron vacunas velozmente por grupos de investigadores en actividad frenética, mientras enfermaban más personas y perecían muchos.

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“…Saberian et al (2021) estimate that globally 129 billion face masks were discharged into the environment every month, however little guidance has been given on how to dispose them safely. Dharmaraj et al (2021) point out that governments are facing great challenges to impose strict regulations about proper disposal of face masks. Used face masks can be seen abandoned elsewhere, from city streets, empty shopping trolleys, hedges, onto the pavement and even in rivers and mountainous areas (Saberian et al, 2021, Greenpeace, 2020Desert, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Face masks are made of polypropylene, a petroleum-based, non-renewable and nonbiodegradable polymer. This type of plastic takes a long time to degrade and releases toxic substances during the process, being hazardous to the environment (Dharmaraj et al, 2021;Greenpeace, 2020). Wildlife can be directed impacted through choking on pieces of litter (when animal cannot differentiate food from plastic), malnutrition (plastic materials fill up stomachs but provide no nutrients) and entanglement (with the elastic of the masks).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waste generation as a side impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Communication on correct disposal of single-use face masks

Tomaszewski

2021

Preprint

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The rapid global spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to urgent efforts to contain and mitigate transmission. The useof face masks became a primary measure to limit the spread, which increased the production and consequentwaste generation. It is estimated that globally 129 billion single-use face masks are discharged into the environment every month. Besides to add to already great concerns over plastic pollution, contaminated face masks not properly handled also poses a health risk. The health and environmental consequences caused by the inadequate disposal of single-use face masks are treated in this study as an eminent risk to be properly communicated. This study framed the waste generation as a side impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and analysed how the communication has been made regarding the correct disposal of single-use masks, with focus in users of public transport in Stockholm region. National and regional authorities are recognized as the main responsibles for the communication about correct disposal, together with manufacturers and suppliers of single-use face masks. Disclosure and informative material of four government authorities and instruction manuals of eight brands of single-use face masks are analysed according to: i) presence / absence of information (about the disposal); ii) type of communication (visual or written); iii) message transmitted and; ix) availability in other languages.It was found guidance about correct disposal of face mask in two thirds of the existing communication, that is mainly written and with few visual aids. Half of communication is made only in Swedish and with no sufficient focus on the importance of correct disposal neither with reference to trash bins with lid. It suggests that the current communication about how to disposesingle-use masks safelymay not be enough, which is affecting the perception of risk by the population and worsening the health and environmental consequencescaused by the inadequate disposal.

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The COVID-19 pandemic face mask waste: A blooming threat to the marine environment

Cited by 236 publications

References 120 publications

Investigating the Links Between Vaccination Against COVID-19 and Public Attitudes Toward Protective Countermeasures: Implications for Public Health

Investigating the Links Between Vaccination Against COVID-19 and Public Attitudes Toward Protective Countermeasures: Implications for Public Health

Los efectos ambientales de la pandemia.

Waste generation as a side impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Communication on correct disposal of single-use face masks

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