Table 2.
Adverse effects of discarded face masks on animals in different countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Negative effects | Species | Group | Country | Description | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingestion | Sword prawn (Parapenaeopsis hardwickii) |
Arthropods | Thailand | Mask-derived MPs (particularly PE and polyester fibers) in the gut. | Pradit et al., 2021 |
| Shrimp (Metapenaeus brevicornis) |
Arthropods | Thailand | Mask-derived MPs (particularly PE and polyester fibers) in the gut. | Pradit et al., 2021 | |
| Spotted catfish (Arius maculatus) |
Fishes | Thailand | High occurrence of mask-derived MPs in the gut. | Pradit et al., 2021 | |
| Sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) |
Reptiles | Japan | Ingestion of drifted masks during feeding. | Fukuoka et al., 2022 | |
| Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) |
Birds | Brazil | A mask in the stomach of a dead penguin, may have caused its death. | Gallo Neto et al., 2021 | |
| Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) |
Mammals | Malaysia | Multiple long-tailed macaques chewing on masks in Genting Sempah. | Hiemstra et al., 2021 | |
| Entanglement | Shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) |
Arthropods | France | A dead shore crab entangled in a mask in lake Étang de Berre. | CGTN, 2021 |
| Checkered pufferfish (Sphoeroides testudineus) |
Fishes | USA | A dead checkered pufferfish entangled in a mask in Miami Beach. | Hiemstra et al., 2021 | |
| Gull (Larus sp.) | Birds | UK | A gull with a mask tangled around its legs in Essex. A young gull with a mask tangled around its beak in Dover. | Hiemstra et al., 2021 | |
| Mute swan (Cygnus olor) | Birds | Italy | A mute swan with a mask entangled around its beak in Rome. | Hiemstra et al., 2021 | |
| Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) |
Birds | UK | A juvenile peregrine falcon with its talons entangled in a mask in Yorkshire. | Hiemstra et al., 2021 | |
| Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) | Birds | Italy | A mallard with its neck entangled in a mask in Casentino. | Hiemstra et al., 2021 | |
| American robin (Turdus migratorius) |
Birds | Canada | A dead American robin entangled in a mask in Chilliwack. | Facebook, 2020 | |
| European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) |
Mammals | Netherlands | A European hedgehog entangled in a mask. | Hiemstra et al., 2021 | |
| Serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) |
Mammals | Netherlands | A serotine bat entangled in two masks in Nijmegen. | Hiemstra et al., 2021 | |
| Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) | Mammals | UK | A red fox entangled in a mask. | BBC, 2020b | |
| Others | Common coot (Fulica atra) | Birds | Netherlands | Disposable masks in the nest of a common coot could lead to entanglement or ingestion by chicks or adults. | Facebook, 2020 |