Face Masks: New Source of Microplastic Release in the Environment

COVID-19 has resulted in the increased use of personal protective equipment (PPEs) all around the globe. These face masks are made from polypropylene and polyurethane material. Now these face masks are becoming the new emerging source of microplastic pollution in the ecosystem. In this study, we have analyzed the release of microplastic particles from different face masks in the aqua medium over a span of time. It has been observed that the surgical face mask releases (3659 particles/ piece) the highest amount of microplastics in the water as compared to other face masks (2300 particles/ piece by KN95, 2908 particles/ piece by branded cloth mask, 3332 particles/ piece by N95) which clearly indicates that it has the highest degradation rate.