Risks of Covid-19 face masks to wildlife: Present and future research needs

The use of disposable face masks became essential to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an unprecedented rise in their production and, unfortunately, to a new form of environmental contamination due to improper disposal. Recent publications reported the abundance of COVID-19-related litter in several environments, wildlife interaction with such items, and the contaminants that can be released from such protective equipment that has the potential to induce ecotoxicological effects. This paper provides a critical review of COVID-19 face mask occurrence in diverse environments and their adverse physiological and ecotoxicological effects on wildlife. It also outlines potential remediation strategies to mitigate the environmental challenge impose by COVID-19-related litter.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Patrício Silva, Ana L., Prata, Joana C., Mouneyrac, Catherine, Barceló, Damià, Duarte, Armando C., Rocha-Santos, Teresa
Other Authors:	Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (Portugal)
Format:	artículo biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier BV 2021-06-17
Subjects:	Disposable masks, Microplastics, Animal health, Ecotoxicity, Physiology,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10261/245045 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
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