Environmental Impact of Selecting Disposable Medical Masks and
Cloth Masks during COVID-19
Shimao Ma
Civil and Urban Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering,
6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, U.S.A.
Keywords: Disposable Medical Mask, Cloth Mask, Environmental Impact, Microplastics, Disposal Measures.
Abstract: With the outbreak of COVID-19, masks have become daily protective articles that everyone needs. Because
masks can block the spread of the virus and reduce the risk of infection. The use of many disposable medical
masks has brought great pressure to the environment. Therefore, this study will compare the environmental
impact of disposable medical masks and cloth masks. From the point of view of material and manufacturing
technology, which kind of mask is more friendly to the environment is analyzed. Firstly, the composition and
characteristics of disposable masks and cloth masks with replaceable filter elements are described. Secondly,
it describes the impact of disposable medical masks and cloth masks on the environment, including the impact
on animals, plants, soil, and the ocean. Finally, it is concluded that the use of naturally degradable cloth masks
is more environmentally friendly than disposable medical masks. It is recommended that people minimize the
use of disposable medical masks during the COVID-19. This study fills a gap in how to solve the problem of
mask pollution. We can reduce the harm of masks to the environment from the perspective of finding
alternative products, to achieve the long-term goal of sustainable development.
1 INTRODUCTION
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a virus that
broke out in Wuhan in December 2019. The common
clinical symptoms of infected people include fever,
dry cough, fatigue, muscle and body pain, headache,
loss of taste and smell, sore throat, stuffy nose, runny
nose, bad heart, vomiting, and diarrhea (CDC 2021).
COVID-19 is transmitted through droplets containing
viruses and very small particles exhaled by infected
people. These droplets and particles may be inhaled
by others from the nasal cavity or fall into their eyes,
mouth, and nose. In some cases, the virus may
contaminate the contact surface. Less than 6 feet
away from the infected person is the most likely to be
infected (CDC 2021). The World Health Organization
(WHO) announced the virus outbreak on January 30,
2020, and issued an alert to all countries (Rahmani,
Mirmahaleh 2021). Disposable medical masks can
usually block virus nanoparticles with a diameter of
about 100 nm (Babaahmadi, Amid, Naeimirad,
Ramakrishna 2021). Therefore, experts say that
masks are an effective tool to prevent the spread of
viruses. People use a lot of masks for self-protection
because they are cheap and efficient enough to be
used once and then thrown away (PARKER 2021).
Since the outbreak of covid-19, 3 million masks have
been used worldwide every minute. In Asia, people
throw away 1.8 billion masks every day. China, the
world's most populous country, discards nearly 702
million masks every day (PARKER 2021). If each
disposable mask weighs 3 grams, about 4.1 million
tons of plastic waste will be generated worldwide
every year. At the same time, we are shocked that
80% of such wastes enters our marine environment.
Unfortunately, these mask wastes have entered our
water flow system (Babaahmadi, Amid, Naeimirad,
Ramakrishna 2021). The wide use of disposable
surgical mask materials poses a serious threat to our
environment.
Some studies have reported that contaminated
masks can be disinfected and reused (Robert Dennis,
2020). However, this theory cannot be accepted by
the public at present. At present, the treatment
methods of disposable medical masks are mainly
disinfection, landfill, and incineration. Disposable
medical masks become harmless after being treated
in an incinerator. By burning at a temperature above
850 ℃, the mask not only becomes harmless but also
generates a lot of energy while burning. The calorific
Ma, S.
Environmental Impact of Selecting Disposable Medical Masks and Cloth Masks during COVID-19.
DOI: 10.5220/0011370800003438
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Health Big Data and Intelligent Healthcare (ICHIH 2022), pages 385-390
ISBN: 978-989-758-596-8
Copyright
c
2022 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
385
value of polypropylene, the main component of the
mask, is 44 MJ/kg. If all masks produced in 2020 are
burned, 2.68% will be generated 2.68×10
10
MJ
energy, equivalent to 5.9 × 10
5
T diesel, 5.86 × 10
5
tons of gasoline, 5.01 × 10
5
tons of natural gas.
Although the incineration of disposable medical
masks produces a lot of energy, the CO2 produced in
the incineration process cannot be ignored. If all
masks produced in 2020 are burned, will be released
1.43 × 10
9
kg carbon dioxide (Tabatabaei,
Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha, Yang, Aghbashlo, Lam,
Montgomery, Peng 2021). However, due to the
excessive number of masks, incinerators in various
countries may not be able to handle such a large
number of second-hand masks. Therefore, most
medical masks may be sent to landfills or directly
discarded in the environment. However, there are also
some environmental problems in landfill sites.
Generally, the degradation cycle of disposable
medical masks buried in the land usually takes more
than 300-500 years. Most of the existing literature
contributes to the treatment of disposable medical
masks, rather than thinking from the perspective of
replacing disposable medical masks.
This paper will first describe the main
components of disposable medical masks and cloth
masks. Secondly, the impact of disposable masks and
cloth masks on the environment is discussed. Finally,
some reasonable suggestions and disposal measures
are given.
2 COMPOSITION AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
MASK
2.1 Composition and Characteristics of
Disposable Medical Mask
Most of the disposable medical mask wastes contain
polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane,
polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polyacrylonitrile,
which will cause plastic or microplastic pollution to
the environment (Akber Abbasi, Khalil, Arslan
2020). Generally, disposable medical masks have
three layers (Fig. 1). The inner and outer layers are
spun-bound polypropylene, and the filter layer is
melt-blown polypropylene (Stringking 2021).
Aluminum wire is nose strips to fix the shape (Pandit,
Maity, Singha, Annu, Uzun, Shekh, Ahmed 2021).
Cotton and rubber form an elastic band that is ear
loops.
Figure 1: Layers layout of the disposable medical mask
(Stringking 2021).
The main components of the disposable medical
mask are polypropylene, either 20 or 25 grams per
square meter (gsm) in density (Henneberry 2021).
Polypropylene is a polymer whose monomer is
propylene (an organic hydrocarbon with the chemical
formula C
3
H
6
). The chemical formula of
polypropylene is (C
3
H
6
)n. The main characteristics of
polypropylene are toughness and flexibility, large
thermal expansion, resistance to organic solvents, and
resistance to weak oxidizing agents (Byjus 2021).
These characteristics also become the reason why
polypropylene is selected as the main material for
disposable masks. In addition, disposable masks are
widely used because the price of polypropylene is
low, and the manufacturing process is simple. This is
also the reason why the price of disposable medical
masks is relatively low. Over time, these
polypropylenes will enter the environment in the
form of microplastics (Selvaranjan, Navaratnam,
Rajeev, Ravintherakumaran 2021).
A very important reason why people prefer
disposable medical masks during COVID-19 is
convenience. Because disposable medical masks can
be easily purchased at a lower price.
2.2 Composition and Characteristics of
Cloth Mask
The cloth mask also has three layers. An inner layer
of absorbent material, like cotton, a middle layer to
act like a filter or barrier (replaceable filter element),
made of non-woven material like polypropylene, an
outer layer of a non-absorbent material, like polyester
or a polyester blend (Miller 2020).
ICHIH 2022 - International Conference on Health Big Data and Intelligent Healthcare
386
However, the main component of the cloth mask
with a replaceable filter element is cotton. Both quilt
and cotton 600 TPI material can meet the
requirements of blocking covid-19 transmission in
terms of air permeability and filtration efficiency
(Hartanto, Mayasari 2021). Because cotton is a low-
carbon and reusable substitute material, it is highly
preferred as an alternative raw material for mask
production (Patricio Silva, Prata, Walker, Campos,
Duarte, Soares, Barcelo, Rocha-Santos 2020). In
addition, the incineration of cloth produces biological
carbon dioxide, but the incineration of disposable
medical masks will produce fossil carbon dioxide
from polypropylene (Tabatabaei, Hosseinzadeh-
Bandbafha, Yang, Aghbashlo, Lam, Montgomery,
Peng 2021). Therefore, the reusable cloth mask with
a replaceable filter element shows a very important
advantage in terms of environmental burden (Núria
Boix Rodríguez, Claudio Favi, Marco Marconi
2021).
3 EFFECT OF DISPOSABLE
MEDICAL MASKS ON
ENVIRONMENT
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the extensive use
of disposable medical masks has led to their frequent
appearance in the environment. As people do not
follow the appropriate treatment methods of
disposable medical masks, mask waste is increasing
all over the world (Selvaranjan, Navaratnam, Rajeev,
Ravintherakumaran 2021). Therefore, the abandoned
disposable medical mask has brought great
challenges to the environment. Disposable medical
masks are usually made of a thin polypropylene layer
and are not easy to decompose. However, over time,
they gradually degrade into microplastics, and then
these microparticles enter the environment and the
risk of food chain pollution increases (Tabatabaei,
Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha, Yang, Aghbashlo, Lam,
Montgomery, Peng 2021). Fig. 2 shows the process
after disposable medical masks are discarded at will.
Figure 2: A general description of the fate of microplastic in the environment originating from the face masks (Akber Abbasi,
Khalil, Arslan 2020).
3.1 Effects of Disposable Medical
Masks on Animals
First, disposable medical masks have a direct impact
on animals. For example, disposable medical masks
randomly discarded in the soil may affect the
activities of animals, resulting in entanglement and
death (Fig. 3) (Selvaranjan, Navaratnam, Rajeev,
Ravintherakumaran 2021). The disposable medical
mask can directly affect animals and the environment
like more than 200 species, including marine
mammals, turtles, and seabirds, are entangled, or
ingested by masks (Patricio Silva, Prata, Mouneyrac,
Barcelo, Duarte, Rocha-Santos 2021). According to
reports in Colombia, a bird was entangled in a
disposable medical mask discarded from a tree. Then
he died after the mask wrapped his body and beak
(Steiner 2020). In addition, disposable medical masks
are easy to be mistaken for food by animals. Because
they are very common and can fill their stomachs, to
reduce food intake and lead to starvation and death of
animals. It may also poison marine animals that eat
plastic (Selvaranjan, Navaratnam, Rajeev,
Ravintherakumaran 2021). For example, it is reported
that the death of an adult Magellanic Penguin
(Sphenicus Magellanicus) found in Juquehy Beach in
São Sebastião, Brazil may be related to the intake of
disposable medical masks. This mask appears in the
stomach of penguins, which may limit the feeding
activities of organisms and lead to hunger (Brandao,
Braga, Luque 2011). The ingestion of microplastics
will interfere with the reproduction, growth, and
development of animal larvae (Klemes, Fan, Tan,
Jiang 2020).
Environmental Impact of Selecting Disposable Medical Masks and Cloth Masks during COVID-19
387
Figure 3: Vets were able to cut the mask off and the bird is
now recovering (Williams 2020).
3.2 Effects of Disposable Medical
Masks on Soil and Plants
Disposable medical masks are degraded by chemical
or biological processes in an open environment, such
as light irradiation, weathering, corrosion, and water
immersion, to form microplastics. Toxic chemicals
that release plastics (Selvaranjan, Navaratnam,
Rajeev, Ravintherakumaran 2021). Mineral
extraction of this toxic chemical will penetrate the
soil. Toxins in soil accumulate in organisms and affect
the growth of vegetation. For example, the
microplastic decomposed from the mask will lead to
the death of trees and soil erosion. Soil erosion will
lead to further environmental deterioration and
degradation and affect climate change. According to
the research, the production of disposable medical
masks will bring problems such as land occupation,
water acidification, nonrenewable energy, and
mineral extraction (Lee, Neo, Khoo, Yeo, Tan, Chng,
Yan, Lok, Low 2021).
3.3 Effect of Disposable Medical Masks
on Ocean
Disposable medical masks are blown into rivers and
streams and taken to the sea. Scientists recorded their
records on beaches in South America, river outlets in
the Gulf of Jakarta, the coast of Bangladesh, the coast
of Kenya, and Hong Kong (PARKER 2021). Over
time, the plastic in the mask will decompose into
smaller fragments, and finally into microplastics and
nano plastics (Shen, Zeng, Song, Yi, Hu, Zhang, Zeng,
Xiao 2021). Because the ocean contains a large
amount of plastic waste, the ocean will absorb toxins
and organic pollutants in these wastes (Selvaranjan,
Navaratnam, Rajeev, Ravintherakumaran 2021). The
total amount of microplastic fibers released from
disposable medical masks discarded in the
environment increased by about 25000 times over
time (Shen, Zeng, Song, Yi, Hu, Zhang, Zeng, Xiao
2021). Therefore, more and more harmful substances
will enter the ocean. This will affect the habits of
microorganisms in the marine ecosystem, resulting in
the chaos of the marine ecosystem. In addition, the
appearance of many disposable masks on the beach
will reduce the aesthetic and beach entertainment
value.
4 EFFECT OF CLOTH MASK ON
ENVIRONMENT
Natural cellulose fibers such as cotton and flax have
good mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, and
biocompatibility, and can resist protein adsorption
and biological pollution. Therefore, they are widely
used in virus filters, such as cloth masks (Junter,
Lebrun 2017). The three-layer cellulose cloth mask is
the best choice to replace the medical mask made of
the synthetic polymer (Pandit, Maity, Singha, Annu,
Uzun, Shekh, Ahmed 2021). Because the cotton mask
is natural, non-toxic, washable, and reusable (Ho,
Lin, Weng, Chuang 2020). Cotton is naturally
produced, so the cloth mask made of cotton can be
biodegradable. Cotton can be biodegraded by
anaerobic and aerobic methods. In addition, the
degradation rate of cotton is also related to
environmental conditions, such as oxygen content,
water content, temperature, pH value, fabric
structure, weight, fiber tightness, etc. (Fibers 2017).
Therefore, the use of cloth masks can protect humans
and our environment (Babaahmadi, Amid,
Naeimirad, Ramakrishna 2021).
4.1 Effects of Cloth Masks on Animals
The composition of cloth masks will not have a great
impact on animals, because cotton, the main
component of cloth masks, is a material that can be
naturally degraded and will not cause harm to animals
(Morgana, Casentini, Amalfitano 2021). Cloth masks
can also cause entanglement of animals in the
environment, but because cloth masks are easy to
decompose, they will not cause permanent and fatal
damage (Wu, Li, Lu, Tang, Cai 2021). However, the
ICHIH 2022 - International Conference on Health Big Data and Intelligent Healthcare
388
production and planting of cotton, the main
component of cloth masks, will have some bad effects
on animals. First, a large number of pesticides need to
be used in the process of planting, which will cause
some animals to die eating pesticides by mistake
Secondly, these pesticides will penetrate into the soil
and follow rivers and streams into lakes, resulting in
the accumulation of toxins in aquatic animals.
Biologists estimate that millions of birds in the United
States die each year from the effects of pesticides
sprayed on cotton and other crops. When the runoff
from farmland contains high concentrations of
pesticides, it will kill fish in nearby rivers and
streams. In a well-documented case in Alabama in
1995, at least 240000 fish were killed by water (Cubie
2006). Therefore, the use of cloth masks will have
some indirect effects on animals.
4.2 Effects of Cloth Masks on Plants
and Soil
Because of their biodegradable properties, cloth
masks will not have a negative impact on plants and
soil. However, the main component of cloth masks
will affect plants and soil during the planting of
cotton. Firstly, many pesticides, especially pesticides,
need to be used in cotton planting, which will cause
potential harm to the ecological chain and affect the
normal growth and development of plants. In
addition, a large number of pesticides will also remain
in the soil, resulting in the decline of soil quality.
Secondly, cotton planting will lead to serious
degradation of soil quality. Although the areas
devoted to cotton cultivation in the world have
remained unchanged in the past 70 years, the growth
process of cotton has led to land fertility depletion and
serious soil degradation in many areas (W.W. Fund,
Cotton Industries, WWF. (2021).
4.3 Effect of Cloth Mask on Ocean
Cloth masks discarded in the ocean can entangle
animals and cause death. Moreover, many cloth
masks appear on the beach, which will affect the
beauty and the development of tourism. It is
optimistic that the cloth mask will quickly separate
and reduce its impact on the ocean under the
corrosion of seawater and the illumination
environment. In addition, so many pesticides need to
be used in the cotton planting process, which is the
main component of the cloth mask. These pesticides
will eventually enter the ocean with the surface water.
For a long time, marine biodiversity and marine
ecological chain will be seriously affected.
5 DISPOSAL MEASURES
For many disposable medical masks that already exist
in the environment, people should take them to a
suitable disposal position when they see them, so as
not to cause greater harm to animals and the
environment. Secondly, while enjoying the
convenience brought by disposable medical masks,
we should pay attention to protecting the
environment. According to regulations, discarded
masks shall be collected and disposed of innocuously.
Second, people should stop using disposable medical
masks in daily life and use cloth masks with
replaceable filter elements for daily protection. For
the government, it should be strengthened.
6 CONCLUSIONS
Since covid-19, the use of many disposable medical
masks has caused serious environmental pollution.
These disposable medical masks, which are discarded
at random, affect the health of animals, plants, soil,
and oceans. The investigation shows that disposable
medical masks and cloth masks will have different
degrees of impact on the environment in different
stages. However, the cloth mask is more friendly to
the environment both in terms of material and
structure. The environmental pollution of disposable
medical masks will exist from raw materials to
manufacturing and then use. The use of cloth masks
will reduce a lot of medical waste and will have a
small impact on the environment in addition to the
planting of raw cotton, but traditional cotton planting
can be replaced by organic cotton planting. Therefore,
we should stop using disposable medical masks and
use cloth masks with replaceable filter elements
instead, because cloth masks are more
environmentally friendly than disposable medical
masks. This article from a new perspective gives
people some new methods to solve the problem of
mask pollution.
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