“…The surgical facemasks were made up of PP, PE, PS, and polyester. Studies showed that wearing these masks exposed the humans directly to inhalation of micro (<1 μm) and nanofibers (<100 nm) [46][47][48].…”
Section: Airborne Dustmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Details on the degradation process of plastic waste are given in Section 3. Plastic litters including disposable plastic cutlery, plastic cups, food containers, as well as face masks in the era of COVID-19 pandemic (that started in 2019 and is still ongoing in the current year of 2022) end up being dumped on coastal shorelines, where they undergo further degradation and decomposition [48][49][50].…”
Global plastic production is on the rise, and improper plastic management leads to the disposal of plastic in the environment, wherein it enters the environment, after degradation, as microplastics (size < 5 mm) and nanoplastics (size < 1 μm). The most common sink for the microplastics is the marine environment, including the sediment, deep sea, shorelines, and oceans. The objective of this study is to collate the environmental impact assessment of the microplastics in the marine habitat, focusing on the following main elements: (a) source and type of microplastics, specifically leading to the marine sink; (b) degradation pathways; (c) ecotoxicological impact on marine biota, since the smaller-sized microplastics can be digested by the marine biota and cause threats to them; (d) fate of microplastic in the marine environment, including the modes of transport and deposition. This chapter aims to provide a deeper insight into the fate of microplastics once it enters the marine environment, and the information could be a useful reference for the development of microplastic risk management strategies.
“…The surgical facemasks were made up of PP, PE, PS, and polyester. Studies showed that wearing these masks exposed the humans directly to inhalation of micro (<1 μm) and nanofibers (<100 nm) [46][47][48].…”
Section: Airborne Dustmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Details on the degradation process of plastic waste are given in Section 3. Plastic litters including disposable plastic cutlery, plastic cups, food containers, as well as face masks in the era of COVID-19 pandemic (that started in 2019 and is still ongoing in the current year of 2022) end up being dumped on coastal shorelines, where they undergo further degradation and decomposition [48][49][50].…”
Global plastic production is on the rise, and improper plastic management leads to the disposal of plastic in the environment, wherein it enters the environment, after degradation, as microplastics (size < 5 mm) and nanoplastics (size < 1 μm). The most common sink for the microplastics is the marine environment, including the sediment, deep sea, shorelines, and oceans. The objective of this study is to collate the environmental impact assessment of the microplastics in the marine habitat, focusing on the following main elements: (a) source and type of microplastics, specifically leading to the marine sink; (b) degradation pathways; (c) ecotoxicological impact on marine biota, since the smaller-sized microplastics can be digested by the marine biota and cause threats to them; (d) fate of microplastic in the marine environment, including the modes of transport and deposition. This chapter aims to provide a deeper insight into the fate of microplastics once it enters the marine environment, and the information could be a useful reference for the development of microplastic risk management strategies.
“…Secondary microplastics and nanoplastics are assumed to result from poorly disposed plastics that break down into smaller particles and are then discharged into the environment (Wang et al, 2022). Figure 1 Increase of plastic use in SARS- CoV-2 leading to micro/nano plastic pollution ( Haque and Fan, 2022 ). …”
Section: Increase Of Plastic Pollution In the Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning
“…While FMs can protect users from airborne respiratory particles, they also pose a danger of inhaling microplastics (MPs) due to the fact that MPs can detach from the surface of the FM while it is Fig. 3 Life cycle of disposable plastic waste on ecosystems and human health being used [38]. Figure 5 demonstrates that inhaled MPs may have a role in the pathogenicity of a variety of lung diseases.…”
Section: Impact Of Disposable Fm On the Environment And Human Healthmentioning
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented form of plastic pollution: personal protective equipment (PPE). On the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a tremendous increase in the production of plastic-based PPE. To control the spread of the virus, face masks (FMs) are used as primary PPE. Thus, the production and usage of FM significantly increased as the COVID-19 pandemic was still escalating. The primary raw materials for the manufacturing of FMs are non-biodegradable synthetic polymers derived from petrochemicals. This calls for an urgent need to develop novel strategies for the efficient degradation of plastics. Furthermore, most of these masks contain plastic or other derivatives of plastic. The extensive usage of FM generates millions of tons of plastic waste for the environment in a short span of time. However, their degradation in the environment and consequences are poorly understood. Therefore, the potential impacts of disposable FM on the environment and human health during the COVID-19 pandemic are clarified in the present study. Despite structural and recalcitrance variations, lignocellulose and plastic polymers have physicochemical features, including carbon skeletons with comparable chemical bonds as well as hydrophobic properties in amorphous and crystalline regions. In this review, we argue that there is much to be learned from termites by transferring knowledge from research on lignocellulose degradation by termites to that on plastic waste.
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