Combating Covid at the Expense of Wildlife
A perch trapped in a disposable glove, found during a canal clean up in Leiden, Netherlands. Photograph: Auke-Florian Hiemstra.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen reductions in CO2 and NO2 emissions, but a new category of pollutants has set in. With the increased, and now widely mandatory, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), these materials are becoming a serious concern for the environment and may be an emerging source of microplastics. The materials that we are now using every day to protect us from this virus are in fact harming wildlife and there is growing evidence of this across the world.
In March of 2020, China reported that its face mask production increased by 450% in just one month. The consumption of medical gloves has inflated among government agencies, healthcare providers and the general public. According to some estimates, globally, we are using 129 billion face masks and 65 billion plastic gloves each month.
The most common polymers found in disposable face masks include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and polyester. The ingestion of these microfibres and their consequential effects on organisms have been reported in aquatic animals such as crabs, small crustaceans and bivalves, anemones, annelids and fish. Ingestion of these microfibres is frequently related to changes in behaviour, reduced feeding activity and reduced growth, increased deformities and injuries and increased inflammation, reduced reproductive output, hindered embryonic development, and oxidative stress.
Ingestion is just one of the ways that aquatic and terrestrial animals interact with the PPE that ends up in the natural environment. Not only are the animals mistaking COVID-19 litter for food, they are also becoming trapped and entangled in it and using it as nesting material. Auke-Florian Hiemstra, a biologist at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands, suggests that the entire animal kingdom will suffer from COVID-19 litter. There have also been reports of penguins, dogs, monkeys and hedgehogs ingesting or being entangled in PPE.
Fish and other aquatic animals entangled in face mask straps or trapped in latex gloves may suffer an immediate death through suffocation or drowning, or their ability to feed may be restricted, resulting in starvation. Face masks and gloves may cause strangulation, wounds and infections, and amputations.
An American robin entangled in a disposable face mask in British Columbia. Photograph: Sandra Denisuk
What can you do?
Switch to reusable masks. Reusable masks can be washed with the rest of your laundry and reworn.
Dispose of your disposable face masks and gloves properly. Disposing your face mask or gloves in the bottom of your landfill bin and securing the lid on your bin reduces the chances of them ending up in rivers or the ocean.
Snipping the straps off of your masks before disposing of them is urged by the RSPCA. By cutting the straps off of face masks, the chances of wildlife getting entangled in them are reduced.
Taking part in beach, riverside or park cleanups is a great way to recover some of the litter that has ended up in these environments and to actively take part in reducing the chances of wildlife interacting with PPE.
Social media is one of the most effective ways to share information and create movements for change. Using social media to encourage others to take these actions can promote and improve the wellbeing of the animals and the environment.