Protective Disposable Face Masks Used During the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Source of Pollutants in the Aquatic Environment – A Study of Short-Term Effects

The paper examines the impact of protective equipment used during the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment. The impact of protective face masks on the aquatic environment was analyzed in more detailed way. The amount of protective face masks penetrated into the environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and their role in the increase of plastic and microplastic things in the environment was noted. The aim of the work was to study the migration of a number of metals from disposable protective masks into the aquatic environment in the short term. Using the method of atomic absorption spectroscopy, the value of Cu, Pb, Mn, Zn, Fe in the investigated model systems containing protective disposable face masks was obtained by varying the pH of the aqueous medium. It was found that for manganese, lead and iron there is a permanent (Mn) or temporary (Pb, Fe) excess of these metals in the aquatic environment according to national and European standards. The probable possibility of sorption effects and the need for further research in this direction were noted. © 2023, Polskie Towarzystwo Inzynierii Ekologicznej (PTIE). All rights reserved.