The Problem of Disposable COVID-19 Masks and their Contribution to Pollution
Ryu
The Problem of Disposable COVID-19 Masks and their Contribution to Pollution
Adopting disposable face masks as part of our fight against COVID-19 has created a new and dangerous problem of face mask pollution. Almost all varieties of single-use face masks contain polypropylene plastics, and they are showing up on streets, beaches, parks, and bodies of water. When this plastic starts to break down, it becomes smaller pieces that can take 450 years to decompose, and the detrimental effect is already being seen in the oceans of the world.
