Comparison between discarded facemask and common plastic waste on microbial colonization and physiochemical properties during aging in seawater

Facemasks are indispensable for preventing the spread of COVID-19. However, improper disposal of discarded facemasks has led to their contamination in the marine environment. To understand the environmental risk of this emerging plastic pollution, it's important to clarify the features that distinguish discarded facemasks from common plastic waste during aging. This study compared the microbial colonization, degradation-related en-zymes, and physicochemical properties among surgical masks, polystyrene cups, polycarbonate bottles, and polyethylene terephthalate bottles in their aging processes in natural seawater. Compared to the other plastic wastes, surgical masks were colonized by the most diverse microorganisms, reaching 1521 unique prokaryotic OTUs after 21-day exposure in seawater. Moreover, the activity of eukaryotic enzymes associated with plastic degradation was 80-fold higher than that in seawater, indicating that the colonized eukaryotes would be the

Automated summary

Improper disposal of discarded facemasks leads to contamination in the marine environment. Compared to other plastic waste, surgical masks are more colonized by microorganisms and have higher activity of eukaryotic enzymes associated with plastic degradation in seawater.