According to the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, a 2020 recent report estimated that 1.56 million face masks went into the oceans creating a huge problem for the health of marine life. The enormous amount of face masks equates to 5,500 tons of plastic pollution. Masks have washed up even on the shores of the deserted and remote Soko Islands. The plastic loops of the masks entangle wildlife. Creatures of the sea who eat or are entangled in mask garbage can cause ailments and death and an imbalance in our ecosystem. Studies show that the breaking down of masks in the environment releases lead, cadmium, copper, and arsenic. The increase of plastics in our oceans will have long-term effects on our ecology and even drinking water.

On land, people and animals are greatly affected by face mask waste. Some animals don’t see the difference between their prey and plastic and hence plastic is ingested. Additionally, fauna can be entangled in the mask strings and die. These animals can choke or become malnourished. Face mask waste liters our streets and enters landfills where it lasts 450 years before decomposing. Shockingly, single-use plastic grew by up to 300% since the pandemic (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). The decomposition of mask plastics creates a breakdown of plastic on a nanolevel hurting cell walls and DNA. Toxic chemicals are released into the environment during the decomposing process.

Sadly, in today’s world, we see face mask litter almost everywhere from parking lots to nature’s trails. It’s a more difficult problem since these masks might be contaminated with COVID-19 so even people that care about the environment are reticent to pick up the mask trash. From this mask litter, there is another concern that plastics from face masks break down into microplastics and nano-plastics which then appear in our food chain causing disease. These plastics contain a range of chemicals harmful to the earth. A surgical mask contains three layers: the outer hydrophobic non-woven layer, the melt-blown middle section, and an inner absorbent non-woven layer. Polypropylene is the main material in a surgical mask. Different plastic polymers like polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyethylene, and polyester are used as well. Surgical and N95 face masks weigh 3.5 grams and 18 grams.