Disposable masks and gloves, appeal against environmental catastrophe

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Published by Dario Dongo and Martina Novelli on 1 May 2020

Gloves and masks, appeal for the Mediterranean

Silvio Greco - marine biologist, Director of the research center of the Antonio Dohrn Zoological Station (Naples) as well as president of the Scientific Council of the Environment and Sea of Coldiretti - launches a heartfelt appeal.

'The sea-cleaning boats, the so-called Pelikan, are now fishing in the Italian seas disposable gloves and masks of different types. Personal protective equipment - which in a period like this is necessary to protect our health and to respect that of others - are however lethal weapons for marine organisms.

Marine reptiles, such as turtles, but also large pelagic fish (such as tuna and swordfish) - confuse these objects in the sea with their usual prey, namely cuttlefish and squid. There is a risk of a marine catastrophe, in addition to the fact that this plastic disintegrates into microplastics and nanoplastics which are ingested by the fish we then eat (1,2).

The appeal is twofold:

- to industries we ask that the masks be produced in single material. Either polypropylene or polyethylene, both of which are widely recyclable,

- to all of us. As soon as we get home and stop using these personal protective equipment, we absolutely need to throw them in the plastic so we can recycle them.

In the next months, in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean, we will use billions of these masks: if not disposed of correctly, they will lead to an unparalleled environmental catastrophe. '

The sea of plastic and us

Every year,, over 570 thousand tons of plastic end up in the waters of the Mediterranean alone. The equivalent of 34 plastic bottles every minute (3,4). The European SUP directive (Single-Use Plastics), now being implemented, was supposed to mitigate this environmental catastrophe. (5) The continuous growth in the production volumes of plastic materials, moreover, has a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions. (6)

The Covid-19 era, in imposing the frequent use of disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) - gloves, masks, gowns, overshoes - on hundreds of millions of people, it will have an impact on the production of polymers and the disposal of waste still without overall estimates on a global scale, which is easy to imagine far beyond all expectations.

The Polytechnic of Turin predicts that in Italy alone, in phase 2 (gradual reopening of work activities) of the Covid emergency, approximately 1 billion masks and half a billion (pairs of) gloves will be needed per month. AND 'if only 1% of the masks were disposed of incorrectly and perhaps dispersed in nature '- warns the president of WWF Italy Donatella Bianchi - 'this would translate into about 10 million masks per month dispersed in the environment'. (7) An environmental catastrophe.

Ecosystems they are in the hands of each of us. Looking forward to solutions consistent withThe circular economy - eg. Reusable PPE, use of bioplastics and recycled plastics - it is essential to take care of the correct disposal of every single object and every part of it, down to the last elastic band of the mask.

Eco-logical responsibility.

Dario Dongo and Martina Novelli