Skip to content

Jlo Down

  • Home
  • index
    • Greenhouse Gases Lead To Global Warming
    • Pollution in our Marine Life
    • Advantages of Using Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
  • indexEsp
  • Stream Videos

Jlo Down

Environment - Climate

March 12, 2021 Waste Recycling

Concerns Raised Over Billions of Face Masks Adding to Plastic Wastes

Findings from a new study show that every month, over 129 billion face masks generally made from plastic microfibers, are added to existing plastic wastes.The number equates to a rate of 3 million masks per minute of plastic pollution. According to study authors Professors Zhiyong Jason Ren and Elvis Genbo Xu, the next emerging problem is the potential environmental threats posed by the massive amount of improperly disposed face masks.

The Problem with Disposable Face Mask Plastics : They are Non-Biodegradable

Although the current global health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic requires the widespread use of disposable face masks, the need for guidelines on proper mask disposal and recycling has been overlooked.

Considering that disposable face masks are made from non-biodegradable plastic materials, they will weather and fragment while in landfills, and then break down into microscopic particles in just a span of a few weeks. If neglected, they will break further into nano-plastic residues that are very harmful to the environment.

While plastic bottles are also mass produced in the same scale as face masks, the difference is that plastic bottles have guidelines for disposal and recycling. As it is, discarded face masks are simply disposed along with other solid wastes. If not addressed, the nanoplastics they produce will end up in different protected environments, in oceans and freshwater systems.

According to the researchers, they are troubled by the lack of information about mask degradation in nature; but they know that these masks can release and amsss biological substances and harmful chemicals. This includes pathogenic microorganisms, bisphenol A, and heavy metals which can indirectly impact humans, plants, and animals.

What the Study Authors are Putting Forward as Immediate Solutions

Nonetheless, professors Ren and Xu gave suggestions for tackling the emerging problem. The first is to allocate trash cans specifically for masks, which if instituted as a guideline must be strictly implemented and standardized.

The other suggestion is for manufacturers to produce biodegradable face masks, while replacing the plastics in the existing disposable masks with reusable materials like cotton.

Professor Elvis Genbo Xu is an Environmental Toxicologist at the University of Southern Denmark, while Zhiyong Jason Ren is a professor at Princeton University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Post navigation

Previous Post:

Easy Ways to Make Your Car More Eco-Friendly

Next Post:

Lesser Known Benefits of Martial Arts

Search

Latest Articles

  • UN’s IPCC Emphasizes Need to Maintain 1.5C to Avoid Devastating Effects of 3.2C
  • How Accidents Can Be Affected By The Environment
  • 8 Ways to Protect the Environment When Driving
  • Video Games and Ecological Crisis
  • The Green Best Electric Guitar Corporate Culture
  • What Is Carbon Footprint: How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?
  • Challenges Faced by New Green Companies in the E-Commerce Market
  • Climate Crisis: Are Video Games Getting Greener?
  • Brazil’s INPE Revealed Real State of Amazon Deforestation
  • The Essence of Music to Society
  • How Bad is Air Pollution?
  • Sustainable Cabinets For Nature Conservation and Preservation

Support Jlo Down


Report any acts against the environment by reporting it to me through the form below. Support our cause.

Jlo Down


Archives

  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019

Featured Watch

Categories

  • Air Quality
  • Aquatic Environments
  • Eco-Friendly Businesses
  • Environment
  • Global Warming
  • Green Businesses
  • Health
  • Home
  • Nature
  • Society
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Waste Recycling

What Makes EPDM A Sustainable Roofing Material?

Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer or EPDM is the most durable roof covering for flat and slightly sloping roofs that exist. EPDM is an artificial rubber t

Read More

Featured Catagories

  • Technology
  • Health
  • Aquatic Environments
  • Waste Recycling
  • Environment
  • Technology
  • Nature

Social Media

Tags

Adverse Effects Bedroom cleaning cleaning our environment Climate Change composite decking Decline of Nature Denim Eco-friendly eco-friendly lifestyle eco friendly decking effect of fashion Environment fashion design fashion week floor decking form of nature games global warming green hosting green practice health health and environment home improving water quality IPBES landscaping Microplastics natural path nature nature-based tourism plastic decking Plastic Pollution Plastic Wastes protecting aquatic environent Recycling Renew Oceans saving mother earth Sustainable Interiors Sustainable space technology video games Waste Reduction women's fashion wooden decking
2021 - Jlo Down