Disposable face masks release micro particles to the aqueous environment after simulating sunlight aging: Microplastics or non-microplastics?

This study focuses on characterizing microplastics and non-microplastics released from surgical masks (SMs), N95 masks (N95), KN95 masks (KN95), and children's masks (CMs) after simulating sunlight aging. Based on micro-Raman spectrum analysis, it was found that the dominant particles released from masks were nonmicroplastics (66.76-98.85%). Unfortunately, CMs released the most microplastics, which is 8.92 times more than SMs. The predominant size range of microplastics was 30-500 mu m, and the main polymer types were PP and PET. Compared with the whole SMs, the microplastic particles released from the cutting-SMs increased conspicuously, which is 12.15 times that of the whole SMs. The main components of non-microplastics include beta-carotene, microcrystalline cellulose 102, and eight types of minerals. Furthermore, non-microplastics were mainly fibrous and fragmented in appearance, similar to the morphology of microplastics. After 15 days of UVAaging, the fibers of the face layers had cracks to varying degrees. It was estimated that these four types of masks can release at least 31.5 trillion microplastics annually in China. Overall, this study demonstrated that the masks could release a large quantity of microplastics and non-microplastics to the environment after sunlight aging, deserving urgent attention in the future study.

Automated summary

This study focuses on characterizing the release of microplastics and non-microplastics from different types of masks after sunlight aging. Non-microplastics were found to be the dominant particles released from masks, with children's masks releasing the highest amount of microplastics. The study also observed a significant increase in microplastic particles released from cut masks compared to whole masks. The non-microplastics found were mainly fibrous and fragmented. It was estimated that these masks could release at least 31.5 trillion microplastics annually in China. This study highlights the urgent need for further research on the environmental impact of mask-related microplastic pollution.