Micro- and nano-particles release from disposable plastic face masks under simulated UV weathering

Disposable plastic face masks (DPFMs) have gained significant attention in recent years due to their role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. However, they become one of the major issues in the environment due to their inappropriate and unregulated disposal. Once in the environment DPFMs can break down into microplastics due to different environmental conditions and enter water sources, soil, and food chains, potentially causing harm to marine life, animals, and humans. The slowly degrading/fragmenting DPFMs form a highly heterogeneous group of particles with different sizes (i.e., from centimeter over millimeter and micrometer to nanometer scale), shapes, densities, and chemical compositions. Therefore, the detection and quantification of micro- and nanoparticles released from DPFMs under different environmental conditions is still one of the largest challenges. The main aim of this research is to provide insights into the analytical techniques that can be employed to study release of micro- and nanoparticles from DPFMs elucidating their role as a novel source of plastic pollution under simulated UV weathering conditions. State-of-the-art analytical methods were employed to achieve this objective, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the particles released from DPFMs.