First record of microplastics in the endangered marine otter (Lontra felina)

Science of The Total Environment

Abelouah

et al. 2021

Self Cite

The increasing use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a sanitary measure against the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has become a significant source of many environmental risks. The majority of the governments enforce the use of PPE in public areas, such as beaches. Thus, the use and disposal of PPE have compromised most solid waste management strategies, ultimately leading to the occurrence of PPE polluting the marine environment. The present study aimed to monitor the PPE pollution associated with COVID-19 along the coastline of Agadir, Morocco. In parallel, the influence of the activities carried out in each sampled beach before and after the lockdown break was reported. Overall, a total number of 689 PPE items were identified, with a mean density of 1.13 × 10 −5 PPE m −2 (0–1.21 × 10 −4 PPE m −2 ). The majority of the PPE items found were face masks (96.81%), out of which 98.4% were surgical masks and 1.6% were reusable cloth masks. The most polluted sites were the beaches with recreational activities, followed by surfing, and fishing as the main activity. Importantly, PPE density increased significantly after lockdown measures. Additionally, the discarded PPE sampled in the supralittoral zone was higher than PPE recorded in the intertidal zone. This confirms that PPE items are driven by the beachgoers during their visit. PPE items are a source of microplastic and chemical pollutants, a substrate to invasive species colonization, and a potential threat of entanglement, ingestion, and/or infection among apex predators. In the specific case of Agadir beaches, significant efforts are required to work on the lack of environmental awareness and education. It is recommended to improve beach cleaning strategies and to penalize incorrect PPE disposal. Additional alternatives may be adopted, as the involvement of biodegradable materials in PPE manufacturing, recycling through pyrolysis, and encouraging reusable and washable masks.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal protective equipment (PPE) pollution associated with the COVID-19 pandemic along the coastline of Agadir, Morocco

Ben-Haddad

Science of The Total Environment

Abelouah

et al. 2021

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“…However, solid waste management across the country is very poor, mainly consisting of open dumpsites and a limited number of certified controlled landfills ( Walmsley et al, 2018 ). Particularly, marine litter and microplastic pollution have been evidenced along the coast of Peru ( De-la-Torre et al, 2021a , De-la-Torre et al, 2020a , De-la-Torre et al, 2020b , Santillán et al, 2020 ), which may be associated with poor coastal management and environmental awareness.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Binational survey of personal protective equipment (PPE) pollution driven by the COVID-19 pandemic in coastal environments: Abundance, distribution, and analytical characterization

Journal of Hazardous Materials

Dioses-Salinas

Pizarro-Ortega

et al. 2022

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In the present contribution, two nationwide surveys of personal protective equipment (PPE) pollution were conducted in Peru and Argentina aiming to provide valuable information regarding the abundance and distribution of PPE in coastal sites. Additionally, PPE items were recovered from the environment and analyzed by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and compared to brand-new PPE in order to investigate the chemical and structural degradation of PPE in the environment. PPE density (PPE m −2 ) found in both countries were comparable to previous studies. FTIR analysis revealed multiple polymer types comprising common PPE, mainly polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyester. SEM micrographs showed clear weathering signs, such as cracks, cavities, and rough surfaces in face masks and gloves. EDX elemental mapping revealed the presence of elemental additives, such as Ca in gloves and face masks and AgNPs as an antimicrobial agent. Other metals found on the surface of PPE were Mo, P, Ti, and Zn. XRD patterns displayed a notorious decrease in the crystallinity of polypropylene face masks, which could alter its interaction with external contaminants and stability. The next steps in this line of research were discussed.

“…Thus, the analyzed face masks are prone to release microplastic of these polymer types to the environment. Microplastics are widely known for their ubiquitous presence in the environment, bioavailability to organisms of all taxa, and detrimental effects (De-la-Torre, 2020;Garcés-Ordóñez et al, 2020;Santillán et al, 2020), like complications in the reproduction of aquatic organisms, consequently reducing their growth rate (de Souza Machado et al, 2018). However, PPE items may also be ingested entirely by marine megafauna and apex predators, such as whales, sharks, turtles, mammals, or seabirds (Fernández and Anastasopoulou, 2019;Kühn and van Franeker, 2020).…”

Section: Potential Effects and Research Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What we need to know about PPE associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the marine environment

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Aragaw

2021

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155

105

Since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared as a global health emergency, the use of multiple types of plastic-based PPEs as a measure to reduce the infection increased tremendously. Recent evidence suggests that the overuse of PPEs during the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening plastic pollution in the marine environment. In this short focus, we discussed the potential sources, fate, and effects of PPE plastic to the marine environment and proposed five key research needs, involving (1) the occurrence and abundance of PPEs, (2) the sources, fate, and drivers of PPEs, (3) PPEs as a source of microplastics, (4) PPEs as a vector of invasive species and pathogens, and (5) PPEs as a source and vector of chemical pollutants in the marine environment. We suggest that addressing these knowledge gaps will lay the groundwork for improved COVID-19-associated waste management and legislation to prevent marine plastic pollution to continue exacerbating.