A Spanish scientist warned that there is a material that makes up face masks and, by being disposed of incorrectly, they are affecting the oceans.
Thanks to a study carried out a few months ago, we learned which mask protects us the most against the virus (r), however, due to the increase in the use of this element, plus the activation of various sectors and the freedom that many people have when leaving home with all the biosafety care, in some frequented places such as beaches and rivers, traces of those visits have been left with waste such as disposable face masks.
That’s bad?
Yes, like any other plastic waste, this mask contains toxic elements, which are not friendly to the environment.
As explained by Professor Arturo Ariño, director of the Department of Environmental Biology at the University of Navarra: “disposable surgical masks have 3 layers. The outer layer is made with a material that is called hydrophobic and repels water, the one that is in contact with the face is much softer, but the inner one is made of a type of material that is known as hot blown and is created with micro and nano fibers”.
“Both in the manufacturing process and in the disintegration, residues of the mask may remain due to its effect on the environment. because it produces small plastic particles, what we call microplastics, anything below 5 millimeters, but above all they are very small fibers that tend to resist a long time in the environment,” added Ariño. They take up to 450 years to degrade and the small plastic fragments they have never completely disappear.
The effects of these microplastics have been seen above all in food chains, as they almost always end up in the oceans, where they can have effects that are not even well known. “It has recently been discovered that they can force some marine plankton species to feed more quickly.even to ingest more plastics,” said the expert. Some species may also confuse them with jellyfish and swallow them, weakening them in the long term.as reported by the Belgian Department of Marine Environment.
Faced with a possible comparison to answer the question of which mask is more environmentally friendly, the scientist responds that there are not enough studies to show that one mask is more harmful than another, in general any that is left in the environment when it degrades. It will end up breaking down into material that is very difficult to collect. “Let’s think that it is easier to put the mask in a plastic bag and get rid of it than to try to collect all the small micro plasticsthat is very difficult”.
So it is not about which one is more or less toxic, because there are still no such big differences between some types or others, what does make the change is that people do adequate recycling at source, in this way it is infinitely more simpler than trying to recover it into the environment, once it has disintegrated.
When you finish using it, take it off and throw it in the appropriate container, not on the street. Do the same with the plastic bottle of disinfectant or gloves, this way they will not reach the ocean and will not join the 8 million tons of plastic that already circulate there. Another invitation is to use reusable face masks, but with the same call to not lose it on a walk you take. Always carry it with you and join in lowering the environmental impact due to the use of this element that is saving the lives of many.