Covid masks are choking the oceans

[jmbar2]

As the Delta and other new Covid variants force us back into wearing masks, we need to pay attention to their proper disposal to keep them out of the environment.

Scientists estimate that over 1.6 BILLION masks ended up in the oceans. The polypropolene used in disposable masks can take up to 50 years to biodegrade.

https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/pandemic-plastic-is-flooding-the-oceans

The good news is that teams of MIT researchers and engineers are studying ways to reduce that waste by designing reusable masks and medical supplies.

In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, N95 masks were in short supply. At many hospitals, health care workers were forced to wear one mask for a full day, instead of switching to a new one for each patient they saw. Later on, some hospitals, including MGH and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, began using decontamination systems that use hydrogen peroxide vapor to sterilize masks. This allows one mask to be worn for a few days.

Last year, Traverso and his colleagues began developing a reusable N95 mask that is made of silicone rubber and contains an N95 filter that can be either discarded or sterilized after use. The masks are designed so they can be sterilized with heat or bleach and reused many times.

https://news.mit.edu/2021/covid-masks-environment-0720

In the meantime, we need to raise awareness of the environmental damage caused by carelessly tossed masks.

[Pobeka]

1. I've avoided picking up masks on the ground, cuz, YUCK.

But given this, I will start carrying a trash bag on my walks and do the invert the bag trick to pick up a mask when I see one.

I'll bet I've seen 50 on the ground over the past year.

[George II]

6. We've had a few blow up onto our lawn in recent months. I do the ol' reverse bag thing, tie a knot..

...in it, and put it in the garbage.

It's disgusting how many I see in parking lots - people are freaking inconsiderate slobs.

[El Mimbreno]

20. as official litter pickers...

in the New Mexico Adopt-a-Highway program, we've picked up dozens of masks on our 8 miles - with our long-handled pickup tools. Surprising how many are washable, reusable.

[Ms. Toad]

25. I've been picking up the ones I see

and snapping the bands (the bands get caught around critter's heads).

[global1]

2. It's Not A Joking Matter But Remember When It Was Hard To Get A Mask....

when this whole thing started?

Well now all you have to do is pick them up in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Unfortunately a lot of masks are laying on the ground all over the city. People are either losing them or just tossing them everywhere.

[Backseat Driver]

22. Yes, indeed

I live in a rental townhouse complex. Across the drive is an open (unfenced) storm retention pond with a variety of wildlife life: fish, turtles, waterfowl (who like to eat small shiny objects). Catch and release fishing is allowed, and we've lost ducks to entanglements with line and swallowed hooks and sinkers. I find plastic bobbers, hard and soft baseballs, and lots of balloons. When it's hot, the pond level goes down, and I've personally picked up masks, little plastic liquor bottles, water and energy drink bottles w/ and w/o lids, plastic bags, and just yesterday, the mower guy ran over an aluminum can, reducing it to shreds of very sharp, sparkling metal; how many more have sunk to the bottom with those pull tabs and plastic six-pack rings attached? Obviously, our "groundskeeper" sux but the people who visit the pond and others up the chain of ponds are far worse. Mower guy doesn't even pick up large rocks or branches that could cause his "accidental" injury or death should it be large enough to overturn that mower as he zips around at high speed, and the kids use them to harass and beat the waterfowl babies to death. Since the retention basin, which is 40 ft deep in spots, flows to the river from which our tap water is processed (I filter what the family drinks and cooks with), the microplastics from deterioration has come to be a huge concern to researchers and scientists - empty-headed humans not so much!

As an old geezer, I take the internet "freetheocean" trivia quiz daily to remove plastics, like bottles, from the ocean. I hope that does have some impact, but even that campaign doesn't really clean up the oceans, I enjoy learning about the oceans and its sea life. Takes just a second, and one gets feedback on the correct answer! In the same way, one can help feed pets and keep cats in litter at rescues/shelters at "freekibble."

[fescuerescue]

3. 50 years isn't that bad really

and 1.6 billion is a lot, but it's literally a drop in the ocean. A water bottle for instance takes about 450 years to biodegrade. Most garbage in the sea takes thousands of years to degrade.

Don't get me wrong, I hate seeing parking lots strewn with masks I really do. I'm on salt water all the time and I constantly see water bottles floating or washed up. But I don't think I've seen a mask floating yet.

Overall, this is a bad news, but it's far far less bad than I would have guessed.

Plus, the mask waste will stop in time.

[IronLionZion]

4. I haven't thrown away one mask yet this whole time

I just wash and reuse cloth ones. The paper PM2.5 filters I throw away are biodegradable (I hope).

Masks muzzle our freedoms and kill jobs.

[Bristlecone]

5. They are everywhere.

Unfortunately, we can now stand by for RWNJs throwing this into the climate change argument as “the liberal left’s hypocrisy between masks and climate”

[Probatim]

7. A friend of mine gifted a few hand sewn cloth masks at the start of COVID.

As it progressed, she picked up different fabrics and designs and passed a few of those along too. I have 6-8 masks and they go in the wash in an unmentionables bag. They've held up well and I feel better about them when I see masks laying on the street.

[Susan Calvin]

8. Unfortunately, those provide only minimal protection to yourself,

Unless the people around you wear masks also. Which cannot be counted on where I live, so I wear kn95. Unfortunately. I really want one of the masks described in this post.

[Probatim]

11. I got sick once in the last 18 months. Working from home and 100% mask compliance on my part helped

[Susan Calvin]

12. Same here. nt

[Ms. Toad]

26. They actually provide significant protection

As long as it is a tight weave, multiple layers, and the mask fits with no gaps (i.e. pulling away at the cheeks or around the nose). The protection for that kind of mask is about 70% (similar to the J&J vaccine), as long as they are worn consistently.

Obviously, you can't take a vaccine off - so masks are no substitute for vaccines, but as an added layer of protection they are fantastic.

[Susan Calvin]

34. I'm glad to hear that.

Do do you have any recommendations for such? Or is anybody doing any testing on them? I'm very reluctant to just trust my own judgment when it comes to people breathing viruses on me.

[Ms. Toad]

36. Fit is one of the most important factors.

Your mask should suck, literally, when you breathe in. If it doesn't move toward your face it means you have a leak at the sides or around the nose. If your glasses fog, you have a leak. (A flexible nose wire is important to mold the top edge of your mask to your nose and the top of your cheeks)

At least 2 layers, preferably 3. Different fabrics are helpful, including at least one layer of non-woven material (interfacing material, or you can buy filters to slip in a mask pocket). The goal is to get layers of swiss cheese where the holes don't all align with each others.

I'll see if I can find some of the studies.

[Catherine Vincent]

30. I remember early on they said only N95s would be 98% protection but

there were none available unless you paid a lot of money for them on Ebay or Amazon. Or got scammed like I did from a website selling N95s. Luckily my cc refunded the money. They must have reported to the DOJ because I receive updates. The person was caught and is serving prison time.

I was at Home Depot the other day and they finally restocked those 3M N95 masks. I picked up two 3-packs just because.

[Susan Calvin]

35. I'm glad you were able to get some.

I didn't buy any during the early days, because I figured I would either be taking them away from medical personnel or they were a scam.

[jmbar2]

9. Good for you!

I helped sew masks in the early days of the pandemic for distribution. I kept all the quality rejects, so I have a bunch.

Now I'm using an N95 because it sits further from my nose--masks close to my nose made me claustrophobic. I only use mine for brief times when inside, so get a lot of reuse out of them.

[PennyC]

10. I also wear handmade masks

I started making them at the beginning and have continued to make them for friends and family. No trash to toss, and I co-ordinate with what I'm wearing.

[AlexSFCA]

13. please folks use appropriate disposable surgical or N95 masks

imagine if doctors and nurses start using reusables

[jmbar2]

14. The MIT researchers make a good case for reusables in the article above

Unfortunately, they are not available yet.

But when they are, it will reduce medical supply costs, eliminate shortages, and keep disposables out of the waste stream. I hope this happens fast.

[El Mimbreno]

24. Using my woodworking N95s

Summer of 2019 my wife happened to find a sale on the masks I use and bought 2 cases. Never expected to be wearing them when we go shopping, etc.

[Auggie]

15. Humans suck

[Beatlelvr]

18. We don't deserve this planet

We are rapidly treating it like we own it, and who cares what it looks like after I'm dead anyway?

[IbogaProject]

16. Cut the strings b4 the trash

I just saw a sign up on a pole here in NYC suggesting on cutting the strings before discarding masks to protect water life should the mask end up there.

[seta1950]

17. I know

I was just saying the other day, while walking, masks are the new cigarette , littering everywhere, it’s awful, why can’t people just throw it away properly.

[Binkie The Clown]

19. "One damn thing after another." --Winston Churchill.

[BannonsLiver]

21. I'm currently in the Caribbean

And I’ve seen masks in the water twice this week. I removed both, though that’s not likely to help much.

[marble falls]

27. The two of us have 15 masks we've had made. We use fresh ones every day. We give ...

... away others we've made or had made. We use quilting fabrics in three layers with a pocket for a coffee filter.

We try to buy nothing with only one use, even turning our cat food bags into tote bags we sell for $3.00 ea at the craft store.

The yogurt we buy is in nice glass jars, and we found a jelly maker who can use them.

[jmbar2]

31. Wow, you are really resourceful!

I've been concerned over how much food packing is single-use plastic and trying to find alternatives. I haven't seen yoghurt in jars yet. I wish all the other dairies would return to cardboard cartons - cottage cheese, etc.

Could you post a pic of your catfood totes? That is unique!

[marble falls]

37. I'm goign to get a picture and send it to you as a file, because I cannot figure out how to post ...

one of my pictures on DU.

I've got a batch of bags I think I'm getting to next week, I'll do pictures of the simple process for you!

I ended up with a pile of plastic containers I could not recycle and it almost caused me to breakdown!

[jmbar2]

38. Looking forward to it.

I forgot how hard it is to post pictures. I guess you need a photo bucket account to post, and then link, but a big hassles. Thanks for the trouble.

[marble falls]

40. This is the video that I figured out from ...

[jmbar2]

41. Very clever

Thanks for looking this up. i hope the local market goers support your totes. They are a good reminder of the need to reuse and conserve.

Thanks

[marble falls]

42. We aren't a high volumn producer. I have one indoor cat and the ferals I feed. About every ...

... three or four months we make seven or eight.

[Catherine Vincent]

28. Just like with the gloves

Don't see much of those but masks have taken their place. Gross.

[kacekwl]

29. Maybe we should focus on how masks (and all the other garbage)

gets into the ocean instead of giving another reason to disparage masks. Let the RWNJ do that.

[jmbar2]

32. It's people (paraphrasing Soylent green)

Progressives need to raise awareness of proper disposal and better alternatives. RWNJ won't do that. It's up to us. That's why I posted this, to raise awareness and start the conversation.

[kacekwl]

33. I agree. Just saying

the RWNJ will use it as another way to say masks are bad.

[Raine]

39. I always wear cloth ones

that I wash and reuse.