While face masks were once rare sightings, their use soared during the coronavirus pandemic, and they even became compulsory in many countries around the world.
Now, a study has warned of the impact that this surge in single-use plastic had on animals around the world.
Researchers from Dalhousie University scanned social media platforms to collect photos of wildlife tangled in face masks and disposable gloves.
In total, the team recorded 114 incidents in 23 countries from April 2020 to December 2021, with a significant majority of encounters involving birds.
‘It is crucial that we identify opportunities to improve our waste management infrastructure, so that we can prevent similar leakages during the inevitable future pandemics,’ the researchers wrote in their study.
Researchers from Dalhousie University scanned social media platforms to collect photos of wildlife tangled in face masks and disposable gloves. Pictured: a mute swan in Italy with a mask in its mouth
In total, the team recorded 114 incidents in 23 countries from April 2020 to December 2021, with a significant majority of encounters involving birds. Pictured: a Eurasian oystercatcher in the Netherlands
Personal protection equipment (PPE) proved vital amid the pandemic, with masks, disposable gloves, testing kits and hygienic wipes widely used to stem the spread of the disease. Pictured: a black bittern in Singapore
Personal protection equipment (PPE) proved vital amid the pandemic, with masks, disposable gloves, testing kits and hygienic wipes widely used to stem the spread of the disease.
Estimates suggest that a whopping 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves were used monthly during the pandemic.
However, without a proper waste management system in place, much of this PPE ended up as litter.
‘With widespread presence in the environment, such items pose a direct threat to wildlife as animals can interact with them in a series of ways,’ the researchers wrote.
In the study, the researchers set out to examine the extent of the problem.
The team scanned Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to see if they could use social media platforms as a tool to collect photos of wildlife entangled in PPE.
In total, the team recorded 114 incidents of animals being affected by PPE debris in 23 countries from April 2020 to December 2021.
The most commonly reported species were mute swan, herring gull, Australian white ibis, red kits, and Eurasion coot – all species of birds.
Meanwhile, the most common mammal recorded entangled in PPE was the eastern grey squirrel, followed by the European hedgehog and red fox.
Estimates suggest that a whopping 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves were used monthly during the pandemic. Pictured: a mute swan in Ireland
‘With widespread presence in the environment, such items pose a direct threat to wildlife as animals can interact with them in a series of ways,’ the researchers wrote. Pictured: red kits in Germany
Without a proper waste management system in place, much of this PPE ended up as litter. Pictured left: a mallard in the US, while pictured right: a Serotine bat in the Netherlands
Of the 114 sightings, nine were found dead in direct contact with PPE.
The majority of the sightings were made in the US (29), followed by England (16), Canada (13), Australia (11) and the Netherlands (10).
The researchers hope the findings will encourage authorities to improve their waste management systems for PPE.
‘Despite the termination of mask mandates across different regions of the world, the billions of disposable pandemic-related debris items mismanaged during COVID-19 will remain in our terrestrial and aquatic environments for decades to come,’ they wrote.
‘Therefore, it is necessary to learn from this event, and assess the full impact that plastic waste from the pandemic has had on our global fauna and environments.
The team scanned Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to see if they could use social media platforms as a tool to collect photos of wildlife entangled in PPE. Pictured: a razorbill in Scotland
In total, the team recorded 114 incidents of animals being affected by PPE debris in 23 countries from April 2020 to December 2021. Pictured: a common coot in the Netherlands
The most commonly reported species were mute swan, herring gull, Australian white ibis, red kits, and Eurasion coot – all species of birds. Pictured: a herring gull in Canada
‘It is crucial that we identify opportunities to improve our waste management infrastructure, so that we can prevent similar leakages during the inevitable future pandemics,’ the researchers wrote. Pictured: a red kite in Germany
‘It is crucial that we identify opportunities to improve our waste management infrastructure, so that we can prevent similar leakages during the inevitable future pandemics.’
The study comes shortly after a study estimated that more than 25,000 tonnes of PPE and other types of Covid-related plastic waste has entered Earth’s oceans.
Researchers in California developed a computer model simulating the fate of plastic waste as it leaves beaches, drifts along the water and fragments into pieces.
They estimate that 8.4 million tons of pandemic-related plastic waste has been generated by 193 countries, from the start of the pandemic to August 2021.
Almost three quarters – 71 per cent – is likely to wash up on beaches by the end of the year, the model suggests.
Most of the offending Covid-related plastic is from medical waste generated by hospitals, the researchers say, which ‘dwarfs’ the contribution from PPE and packaging from online shopping giant like Amazon and eBay.
The researchers hope the findings will encourage authorities to improve thir waste management systems for PPE. Pictured: an osprey in the US
The majority of the sightings were made in the US (29), followed by England (16), Canada (13), Australia (11) and the Netherlands (10). Pictured: a hamerkop in the US
