Disposable face masks used during the Covid-19 pandemic are breaking down and releasing microplastics and chemical additives, including endocrine disruptors, according to new research. The study, led by Coventry University, warns that the very equipment intended to protect people now poses a risk to human and environmental health.
At the height of the pandemic, an estimated 129 billion disposable face masks were used every month worldwide, mostly made from polypropylene and other plastics. With no recycling stream, the majority ended up in landfill or littered in streets, parks, beaches, and waterways, where they have begun to degrade.
Researchers Anna Bogush and Ivan Kourtchev tested several types of new masks by leaving them in purified water for 24 hours. Every mask leached microplastics, but FFP2 and FFP3 masks—marketed as gold-standard protection—released four to six times more than others. The microplastic particles ranged from 10 to 2,082 micrometres, with those below 100 micrometres predominant.
Further chemical analysis revealed that medical masks also released bisphenol B, an endocrine-disrupting chemical that mimics oestrogen when absorbed by humans and animals. The researchers estimated that single-use face masks produced during the pandemic led to the release of 128–214 kg of bisphenol B into the environment.
“This study has underlined the urgent need to rethink how we produce, use and dispose of face masks,” said Anna Bogush, lead author of the study published in the journal Environmental Pollution. She added: “We can’t ignore the environmental cost of single-use masks, especially when we know that the microplastics and chemicals they release can negatively affect both people and ecosystems.”
