From COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to pollutants: A multi-analytical approach towards environmental weathering of gloves and face masks in beach sand and sea. - 2025
From COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to pollutants: A multi-analytical approach towards environmental weathering of gloves and face masks in beach sand and sea.
ATR-FTIR; DART-MS; Leachable compounds; Personal protective equipment; Polymer degradation; Py-GC–MS
Abstract :
[en] COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and face masks. While these items have been crucial in curbing the spread of viruses, their disposal poses significant environmental challenges. This study aims to provide insights on the effects resulting from exposure in seawater and beach sand on PPE, when accidentally disposed. For that purpose, three types of gloves (nitrile, latex and vinyl) and face masks (FFP2, surgical and generic) were 18 months exposed. The samples were then collected and analysed by Attenuated Total Reflectance infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy analyses to evaluate the aging/degradation state of the PPEs' surface, while Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) was conducted to elucidate potential degradation of the polymer structures. Finally, Direct Analysis in Real-Time coupled with Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) was employed, to assess their chemical composition and potential leaching behavior. ATR-FTIR and Py-GC-MS analyses revealed that polymer aging (oxidation) occurred in surgical masks exposed to seawater. In contrast, nitrile gloves aged in sand exhibited a loss of the characteristic nitrile absorption band. DART-MS further revealed that both masks and gloves exhibited limited degradation. Nevertheless, some noteworthy patterns emerged. Metal chlorides present in gloves were completely released, while phthalates were prone to oxidation when aged in beach sand. Regarding face masks, similar trends were discovered, again showing more pronounced chemical aging behavior in sand-aged samples. In conclusion, this study highlights that a multidisciplinary analytical approach is required to understand the impact of plastics towards the marine ecosystem.
Disciplines :
Chemistry
Author, co-author :
Lievens, Siebe ✱; Université de Liège - ULiège > Molecular Systems (MolSys)
Ricci, Lucia ✱; Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici (CNR-IPCF), Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Dumont, Géraldine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Molecular Systems (MolSys)
Pezzini, Stefano; Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici (CNR-IPCF), Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Bronco, Simona; Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici (CNR-IPCF), Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
De Monte, Cristina; Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici (CNR-IPCF), Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Jordens, Jan; Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
De Carvalho, Aline Reis; Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
Locritani, Marina; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Rome, Italy
Velimirovic, Milica; Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
Merlino, Silvia; Istituto di Scienze Marine (CNR-ISMAR), Pozzuolo di Via Santa Teresa, 19032 Lerici, Italy. Electronic address: silvia.merlino@cnr.it
✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work.
Language :
English
Title :
From COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to pollutants: A multi-analytical approach towards environmental weathering of gloves and face masks in beach sand and sea.
This underwater multi-parametric platform is managed by the Ligurian Cluster of Marine Technologies (DLTM), in collaboration with INGV, CNR, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), and the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy, as part of the LabMARE project funded by the Liguria Region. Its purpose is to assess new technologies and monitor the environmental status. The platform, placed on 10 m depth and 80 m far from the coast is equipped with CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth) sensors for monitoring environmental parameters such as temperature and salinity, and provides real time data via an underwater connected land-based station, as well as through internet data transmission. Additionally, for this specific experiment, a cage system, consisting out of two large cages (70 cm \u00D7 30 cm) and twice eight baskets with 1 mm mesh netting (19 cm \u00D7 14 cm and 14 cm \u00D7 14 cm), was built of stainless steel 316 by Vamp s.n.c. (a company specialized in the industrial and naval sectors in La Spezia) in November 2020. From this cage system two dedicated cages for studying plastic and bioplastic degradation in the marine environment were installed to the platform ( Fig. 2 ). Moreover, metal was chosen over plastic as construction material for cages and baskets, to overcome potential contamination of the inserted samples, such as the possible release of additives from plastic materials ( Accustandard, 2024 ). The only plastic elements used were large plastic ties, which were required to fix the cages to the underwater observatory. All components were equipped with sacrificial anodes to prevent galvanic corrosion. Besides the underwater station, a sandbox was also established on land near the LabMARE station, containing sand that was collected from the Gulf of La Spezia (Le Grazie Bay).Financial support was obtained from the European Union's HORIZON EUROPE innovation program, Upstream, under Grant Agreement No. 101112877. Authors also acknowledge the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action CA20101 Plastics monitoring detection RemedIaTion recovery \u2013 PRIORITY, the LabMARE infrastructure and the MARTA project \u2013 Programma POR CREO FESR TOSCANA 2014-2020. Moreover, the INGV is acknowledged for funding provision of the cage's establishment. Special thanks to the divers of Dipartimento Polizia di Stato\u2014Centro Nautico Sommozzatori of La Spezia (Italy).Financial support was obtained from the European Union's HORIZON EUROPE innovation program, Upstream, under Grant Agreement No. 101112877 . Authors also acknowledge the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action CA20101 Plastics monitoring detection RemedIaTion recovery \u2013 PRIORITY, the LabMARE infrastructure and the MARTA project \u2013 Programma POR CREO FESR TOSCANA 2014-2020. Moreover, the INGV is acknowledged for funding provision of the cage's establishment.
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