Masks and gloves are saving lives—and causing pollution
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Masks and gloves are saving lives—and causing pollution 24 March 2021, by Haven Daley A discarded face mask lies in the street in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Disposable masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment have safeguarded untold lives during the pandemic. They're also creating a worldwide environmental problem, littering streets and sending an influx of harmful plastic into landfills and oceans. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Disposable masks, gloves and other types of personal protective equipment are safeguarding untold lives during the coronavirus pandemic. They're also creating a worldwide pollution problem, littering streets and sending an influx of harmful plastic and other waste into landfills, sewage systems and oceans. In Northern California, environmental groups are tracking the issue along the coast—and trying to do something about it. The Pacific Beach Coalition recently noticed a dramatic increase in discarded PPE on beaches in and around the city of Pacifica, south of San Francisco, where it's been doing monthly cleanups for nearly 25 years. Volunteers record what they pick up to gauge what might end up in the ocean. Until 2020, the litter was mostly cigarette butts and food wrappers. "What are we going to do? We got masks. We got gloves. We got all those hand wipes, the sani wipes. They're everywhere. They're in my neighborhood, in my streets. What can we do?" asked Lynn Adams, the coalition's president. The group and others are calling attention to the issue, saying what's recorded is likely only a fraction of the personal protective equipment hitting beaches and oceans. Larger mammals can ingest PPE, and plastic from the items can disrupt the ocean's food chains. "They're all made of plastic," Adams said. A report last year by the advocacy group OceansAsia found nearly 1.6 billion masks would flood oceans in 2020 alone, based on global production estimates and other factors. OceansAsia said masks could take as long as 450 years to break down. Lynn Adams, president of the Pacifica Beach Coalition, center, gives directions to volunteers before they clean areas near Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica, Calif., Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Disposable masks, gloves 1 / 3
Transcript of Masks and gloves are saving lives—and causing pollution
Masks and gloves are saving lives—andcausing pollution24 March 2021, by Haven Daley
A discarded face mask lies in the street in SanFrancisco, Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Disposablemasks, gloves and other personal protective equipmenthave safeguarded untold lives during the pandemic.They're also creating a worldwide environmentalproblem, littering streets and sending an influx of harmfulplastic into landfills and oceans. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Disposable masks, gloves and other types ofpersonal protective equipment are safeguardinguntold lives during the coronavirus pandemic.They're also creating a worldwide pollutionproblem, littering streets and sending an influx ofharmful plastic and other waste into landfills,sewage systems and oceans.
In Northern California, environmental groups aretracking the issue along the coast—and trying to dosomething about it.
The Pacific Beach Coalition recently noticed adramatic increase in discarded PPE on beaches inand around the city of Pacifica, south of SanFrancisco, where it's been doing monthly cleanupsfor nearly 25 years.
Volunteers record what they pick up to gauge what
might end up in the ocean. Until 2020, the litter wasmostly cigarette butts and food wrappers.
"What are we going to do? We got masks. We gotgloves. We got all those hand wipes, the saniwipes. They're everywhere. They're in myneighborhood, in my streets. What can we do?"asked Lynn Adams, the coalition's president.
The group and others are calling attention to theissue, saying what's recorded is likely only afraction of the personal protective equipment hittingbeaches and oceans.
Larger mammals can ingest PPE, and plastic fromthe items can disrupt the ocean's food chains."They're all made of plastic," Adams said.
A report last year by the advocacy groupOceansAsia found nearly 1.6 billion masks wouldflood oceans in 2020 alone, based on globalproduction estimates and other factors.OceansAsia said masks could take as long as 450years to break down.
Lynn Adams, president of the Pacifica Beach Coalition,center, gives directions to volunteers before they cleanareas near Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica, Calif.,Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Disposable masks, gloves
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and other personal protective equipment havesafeguarded untold lives during the pandemic. They'realso creating a worldwide environmental problem, litteringstreets and sending an influx of harmful plastic intolandfills and oceans. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Pacifica Beach Coalition volunteer Amaelia Bringas, 16,picks up a face mask while picking up trash near SharpPark Beach in Pacifica, Calif., Wednesday, March 17,2021. Disposable masks, gloves and other personalprotective equipment have safeguarded untold livesduring the pandemic. They're also creating a worldwideenvironmental problem, littering streets and sending aninflux of harmful plastic into landfills and oceans. (APPhoto/Jeff Chiu)
Lynn Adams, president of the Pacifica Beach Coalition,shows face masks that were found discarded near herhome as volunteers clean areas near Sharp Park Beach
in Pacifica, Calif., Wednesday, March 17, 2021.Disposable masks, gloves and other personal protectiveequipment have safeguarded untold lives during thepandemic. They're also creating a worldwideenvironmental problem, littering streets and sending aninflux of harmful plastic into landfills and oceans. (APPhoto/Jeff Chiu)
Pacifica Beach Coalition volunteers Iona Pratt-Bauman,from left, Anneliese Phillips, Sophia Woehl and AmaeliaBringas, all 16, pick up trash off Sharp Park Beach inPacifica, Calif., Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Disposablemasks, gloves and other personal protective equipmenthave safeguarded untold lives during the pandemic.They're also creating a worldwide environmentalproblem, littering streets and sending an influx of harmfulplastic into landfills and oceans. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Pacifica Beach Coalition volunteers Alec Juntura, 21,
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foreground left, and Kimmy Tran, 20, pick up trash nearSharp Park Beach in Pacifica, Calif., Wednesday, March17, 2021. Disposable masks, gloves and other personalprotective equipment have safeguarded untold livesduring the pandemic. They're also creating a worldwideenvironmental problem, littering streets and sending aninflux of harmful plastic into landfills and oceans. (APPhoto/Jeff Chiu)
The Marine Mammal Center, a conservation groupthat rescues and rehabilitates mammals, conductsresearch and provides education, said animals canget trapped in discarded PPE, or mistake it for food.
"Obviously, PPE is critical right now, but we knowthat with increased amounts of plastic and a lot ofthis stuff getting out into the ocean, it can be areally big threat to marine mammals and all marinelife," said the center's conservation educator, AdamRatner.
One small thing Ratner suggests is cutting theloops before discarding a mask, which can helpprevent animals from getting tangled in them.
Sophia Woehl was among those volunteering in thecleanup at a beach in Pacifica last week.
"We want to keep ourselves safe, but we also wantto keep the rest of the environment safe, too, andwe're not doing that right now with just leaving themon the ground," she said.
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