Discarded Gloves And Face Masks Are Becoming A New Source Of Ocean Pollution
In hopes of stopping the spread of coronavirus, face masks and gloves have now become either mandatory or recommended worldwide. There are other controversial recommendations, but it has been shown that there are few stocks in the world for people to use on a daily basis. Masks have been shown to work effectively, but unfortunately, these new additions to humans have contributed to creating more waste.
Hence, discarded coronavirus masks and gloves raise the risk of ocean life, according to nature conservationists.
Unfortunately, while the lack of mass-use masks is present everywhere in the world, there is no shortage of surgical masks on Ocean beaches, as evidenced by many studies conducted on waste and microplastics. Research conducted on the Soko Islands, southwest of Lantau at the mouth of the Biser River Delta, focused on examining the composition of debris, where a significant increase in surgical masks was observed.
Discarded coronavirus face masks and gloves rising threat to ocean life, conservationists warn https://t.co/Ekk4ajebwC#INDIGENOUS #TAIRP @Independent pic.twitter.com/XpBCtxO3fk
— Indigenous (@AmericanIndian8) April 18, 2020
Only after such a massive social change began that everyone is wearing masks, it has not taken 6 weeks for the effects of the lack of hygiene mentality to show up on the beaches. This massive occurrence of surgical masks probably was not before the COVID-19 virus, according to many visitors.
But not only on the beaches, but cigarette butts, empty bottles, food wrappers, rubber gloves, and surgical masks are also all the same on many city streets. In the end, all of the debris that is on the street can be easily washed away by drains during a storm and end up in the ocean or other waterways.
What is of particular concern is that surgical masks and gloves can be particularly harmful to the environment because they are made of non-degradable fabrics and plastics, and which in various colors are attractive to marine animals.
According to observations in Asia, where people have been using masks and gloves for several months now, these items have already made their way to nearby waterways and oceans. The OceanAsia Conservation Group website (oceansasia.org) posted photos taken on beaches in Hong Kong, where gloves and surgical masks were strewn across the sand and floated in the water.
The statement by OceanAsia co-founder Gary Stokes to The Independent said:
“The way I see these environmental masks is just another addition to the ongoing crisis of the marine debris that our oceans are facing. Not better, not worse, it just shouldn’t be there in the first place. I am waiting to hear the first necropsy that finds masks in a dead marine animal. It’s not a question of if, but when. “
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Similar tendencies have been observed in many other countries around the world, and environmentalists in the United States are committed to addressing this problem. Maria Algarra, founder of the Miami-based environmental group Clean This Beach Up, started the hashtag called #TheGloveChallenge. With this campaign, she encourages people to take photos of discarded gloves and masks to illustrate how widespread the problem is and to share these photos on social networks.
She received almost 2000 photographs of discarded gloves and masks from around the world. In some letters, she was reported to have helped clean up discarded items. In accordance with the recommendations of health experts, Algarra advised her supporters to pick up things only if they had personal protective equipment.
This problem with scattered gloves is a matter of education and general upbringing. People and their attitudes cannot be expected to change overnight, even though they know that what they are doing is wrong.
DON’T BE TRASHY!!! STOP THROWING YOUR GLOVES ON THE FLOOR! 😡🚯#MondayMood #TheGloveChallenge #COVID #coronavirus #trashtag @MiamiBeachNews @MiamiBeachPD @FrancisSuarez @MayorDanGelber pic.twitter.com/4dPt0ssUlf
— Clean This Beach Up (@Cleanthisb_up) April 7, 2020
Plastics and microplastics are found everywhere and increase toxicity in the environment, so it is in what we eat and drink. While recycling certain types of items makes it possible to control and manage waste, it is very difficult or there is no way to clean the microplastics. When the garbage is already in the ocean and broken into smaller pieces, it is almost impossible to bring it back.
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