Study of the Long-Term Aging of Polypropylene-Made Disposable Surgical Masks and Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Autor: Sandra Carreiras-Suárez, Lidia Domínguez-Ramos, Massimo Lazzari
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Polymers, Vol 15, Iss 4, p 1001 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2073-4360
DOI: 10.3390/polym15041001
Popis: The main purpose of this work is to contribute to understanding the mechanism of oxidation of the polymeric components of common disposable masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic to offer the chemical basis to understand their long-term behavior under typical environmental conditions. Artificial aging of representative mask layers under isothermal conditions (110 °C) or accelerated photoaging showed that all the PP-made components underwent a fast oxidation process, following the typical hydrocarbon oxidation mechanism. In particular, yellowing and the melting temperature drop are early indicators of their diffusion-limited oxidation. Morphology changes also induced a loss of mechanical properties, observable as embrittlement of the fabric fibers. Results were validated through preliminary outdoor aging of masks, which allows us to predict they will suffer fast and extensive oxidation only in the case of contemporary exposure to sunlight and relatively high environmental temperature, leading to their extensive breakdown in the form of microfiber fragments, i.e., microplastics.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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