Improperly discarded surgical masks, which break down under effects of UV radiation, wind, and ocean currents, can threaten the marine ecosystem and food chain

Surgical masks have been part of essential personal protection during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the inappropriate disposal of surgical masks can cause serious microplastic pollution, equivalent to seriously polluting more than 54,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools of seawater annually, researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) discovered. This can also affect the growth and reproduction…