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Million Microfiber Releases: Comparing Washable and Disposable Face Masks

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Download Hi-Res ImageDownload to MS-PowerPointCite This:Environ. Sci. Technol. 2024, 58, 40, 17874-17885
    Occurrence, Fate, and Transport of Aquatic and Terrestrial Contaminants

    Million Microfiber Releases: Comparing Washable and Disposable Face Masks
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    • Yuyue Huang
      Yuyue Huang
      Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark
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    • Ayoub Laghrissi
      Ayoub Laghrissi
      NanoSyd, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg 6400, Denmark
      More by Ayoub Laghrissi
    • Jacek Fiutowski
      Jacek Fiutowski
      NanoSyd, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg 6400, Denmark
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    • Martin A. B. Hedegaard
      Martin A. B. Hedegaard
      Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark
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    • Xiaoyu Duan
      Xiaoyu Duan
      Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark
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    • Xin Wang
      Xin Wang
      Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark
      More by Xin Wang
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3902-9524
    • Mohamed Helal
      Mohamed Helal
      Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark
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    • Horst-Günter Rubahn
      Horst-Günter Rubahn
      NanoSyd, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg 6400, Denmark
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      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3606-5653
    • Henrik Holbech
      Henrik Holbech
      Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark
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    • Gary Hardiman
      Gary Hardiman
      School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Security, Queen’s University, Belfast, BT7 1NN Northern Ireland, U.K.
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      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4558-0400
    • Xiangrong Xu
      Xiangrong Xu
      Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
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    • Elvis Genbo Xu*
      Elvis Genbo Xu
      Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark
      *Email: [email protected]
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      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4414-1978
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    Environmental Science & Technology

    Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2024, 58, 40, 17874–17885
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    https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c03601
    Published September 10, 2024
    Copyright © 2024 American Chemical Society
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    Abstract

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    The extensive use of single-use or disposable face masks has raised environmental concerns related to microfiber contamination. In contrast, research on the potential release and ecological impact of microfibers from washable masks (WMs), suggested as an eco-friendly alternative, is currently lacking. Here, we comprehensively investigated the release of microfibers from disposable and WMs of different types in simulated aquatic environments and real-life scenarios, including shaking, disinfection, hand washing, and machine washing. Using a combination of wide-field fluorescence microscopy, He-ion microscopy, and confocal μ-Raman spectroscopy, we revealed that disposable masks (DMs) released microfibers ranging from 18 to 3042 microfiber/piece, whereas WMs released 6.1 × 104–6.7 × 106 microfibers/piece depending on the simulated conditions above. Another noteworthy finding was the observed negative correlation between microfiber release and the proportion of reinforcement (embossing) on the DM surfaces. Microfibers from tested DMs primarily comprised polypropylene (PP), while WMs predominantly released poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and cellulose microfibers. Furthermore, acute toxicological analyses unveiled that PP microfibers (0.01–50 mg/L) from DMs impacted zebrafish larval swimming behavior, while PET microfibers from WMs delayed early-stage zebrafish hatching. This study offers new insights into the source of microfiber contamination and raises concerns about the environmental implications linked to the use of washable face masks.

    Copyright © 2024 American Chemical Society

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    Supporting Information

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    The Supporting Information is available free of charge at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c03601.

    • Description of the six types of tested face masks, structural properties of three types of tested WMs, release number of microfibers from face masks in each scenario and statistics, length distribution of the released microfibers, approach of Raman identification, PP microfibers used for zebrafish exposure, released microfibers from WMs, and examples of deformed zebrafish exposed to PP microfibers (PDF)

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    Cited By

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    This article is cited by 1 publications.

    1. Gordon Herwig, Till Batt, Pietro Clement, Peter Wick, René M. Rossi. Sterilization and Filter Performance of Nano‐ and Microfibrous Facemask Filters – Electrospinning and Restoration of Charges for Competitive Sustainable Alternatives. Macromolecular Rapid Communications 2024, 37 https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400867
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    Environmental Science & Technology

    Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2024, 58, 40, 17874–17885
    Click to copy citationCitation copied!
    https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c03601
    Published September 10, 2024
    Copyright © 2024 American Chemical Society
    Request reuse permissions

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