ReviewThe Science of the total environment2023
Global face mask pollution: threats to the environment and wildlife, and potential solutions.
Review in The Science of the total environment, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.
- Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Invisible Hands Behind Clean Hands: Procurement Justice, Materiality, and Nursing Praxis.Nursing philosophy : an international journal for healthcare professionals · 2026Article
- Effect of distributing urine-collection bags on contrast-material load in wastewater.European radiology · 2026Observational
- Integrating Alkali Lignin into Electrospun PET Nanofibers for Enhanced Viral Protection in Respiratory Masks.ACS omega · 2026Article
- Spatial distribution and risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds from open incineration of used medical disposable face masks.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Responses of gut microbial community and metabolic function to disposable face mask of Zophobas atratus larvae.Advanced biotechnology · 2026Article
- Planetary Health in Health Guidelines and Health Technology Assessments: A Scoping Review.Clinical and public health guidelines · 2026Article
- Early-life exposure to polypropylene nanoplastics induces neurodevelopmental toxicity in mice and human iPSC-derived cerebral organoids.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2025Article
- Chalcogenide Materials in Water Purification: Advances in Adsorptive and Photocatalytic Removal of Organic Pollutants.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2025Review
- Development of a Color-Changing Face Mask for Fever Detection Applications.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Understanding the mechanism of water splitting on (111) and (001) surfaces of CsPbIRSC advances · 2025Article
- Microbial degradation of microplastics: Effectiveness, challenges, and sustainable solutions.Current research in microbial sciences · 2025Review
- Electret Nonwoven Structures for High-Efficiency Air Filtration, Produced Using the Blow Spinning Technique.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- All-inorganic lead halide perovskites for photocatalysis: a review.RSC advances · 2024Review
- Article
- Advantages and disadvantages of maintaining the mandatory use of masks in health centers and nursing homes in Spain. How and when is it justified to maintain it?Revista espanola de quimioterapia : publicacion oficial de la Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Face masks are an indispensable low-cost public healthcare necessity for containing viral transmission. After the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a pandemic, there was an unprecedented demand for, and subsequent increase in face mask production and use, leading to global ecological challenges, including excessive resource consumption and significant environmental pollution. Here, we review the global demand volume for face masks and the associated energy consumption and pollution potential throughout their life cycle. First, the production and distribution processes consume petroleum-based raw materials and other energy sources and release greenhouse gases. Second, most methods of mask waste disposal result in secondary microplastic pollution and the release of toxic gases and organic substances. Third, face masks discarded in outdoor environments represent a new plastic pollutant and pose significant challenges to the environment and wildlife in various ecosystems. Therefore, the long-term impacts on environmental and wildlife health aspects related to the production, use, and disposal of face masks should be considered and urgently investigated. Here, we propose five reasonable countermeasures to alleviate these global-scale ecological crises induced by mask use during and following the COVID-19 pandemic era: increasing public awareness; improving mask waste management; innovating waste disposal methods; developing biodegradable masks; and formulating relevant policies and regulations. Implementation of these measures will help address the pollution caused by face masks.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.