Protective Disposable Face Masks Used During the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Source of Pollutants in the Aquatic Environment – A Study of Short-Term Effects
| 1 | Department of Civil Security, Lutsk National Technical University, Lvivska Str., 75, 43018, Lutsk, Ukraine |
| 2 | Water Research Institute, Nábr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu, 5, 81249, Bratislava, Slovakia |
| 3 | Chemical Metrology Department, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Svobody Sq., 4, 61022, Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| 4 | Department of Automatic Safety Systems and Information Technologies, National University of Civil Defence of Ukraine, Chernyshevska Str., 94, 61023, Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| 5 | Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Povitroflotskyi Av., 6, 03168, Kyiv, Ukraine |
| 6 | Scientific Department on Problems of Civil Defense and Technogenic and Ecological Safety, National University of Civil Defenсe of Ukraine, Chernyshevskaya Str., 94, 61023, Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| 7 | The National Defence University of Ukraine named after Ivan Cherniakhovskyi, Povitroflotskyi Av., 28, 03049, Kyiv, Ukraine |
| 8 | Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Mystetstv Str., 8, 61002, Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| 9 | Department of Service and Training, National University of Civil Defence of Ukraine, Chernyshevska Str., 94, 61023, Kharkiv, Ukraine |
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Valentyna Loboichenko
Department of Civil Security, Lutsk National Technical University, Lvivska Str., 75, 43018, Lutsk, Ukraine
Department of Civil Security, Lutsk National Technical University, Lvivska Str., 75, 43018, Lutsk, Ukraine
Ecol. Eng. Environ. Technol. 2023; 1:84–92
KEYWORDS
disposable protective face maskpollutionatomic adsorption spectroscopyaqueous environmentheavy metal
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The paper examines the impact of protective equipment used during the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment. The impact of protective face masks on the aquatic environment was analyzed in more detailed way. The amount of protective face masks penetrated into the environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and their role in the increase of plastic and microplastic things in the environment was noted. The aim of the work was to study the migration of a number of metals from disposable protective masks into the aquatic environment in the short term. Using the method of atomic absorption spectroscopy, the value of Cu, Pb, Mn, Zn, Fe in the investigated model systems containing protective disposable face masks was obtained by varying the pH of the aqueous medium. It was found that for manganese, lead and iron there is a permanent (Mn) or temporary (Pb, Fe) excess of these metals in the quatic environment according to national and European standards. The probable possibility of sorption effects and the need for further research in this direction were noted.
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