Overview

• Coventry University researchers reported that unused surgical and filtering facepiece masks released microplastics and chemical additives into water after 24 hours of static immersion.
• High-filtration FFP2/FFP3 models shed three to six times more particles than standard surgical masks, with most fragments smaller than 100 micrometers.
• Polypropylene dominated the particles detected, with polyethylene, polyester, nylon and PVC also present, indicating multiple plastic sources embedded during manufacturing.
• Chemical analysis found Bisphenol B in leachate from some masks, and the team estimated pandemic-era production contributed roughly 128–214 kilograms of the endocrine disruptor to the environment.
• The authors emphasized that the lab leach test models a specific pathway, yet they urged development of sustainable alternatives and stronger waste management given the vast volumes of discarded masks, estimated at about 129 billion per month at the pandemic’s peak.