key: cord-1035403-50n2wrs1 authors: Ardusso, M.; López, A. D. Forero; Buzzi, N. S.; Spetter, C. V.; Severini, M. D. Fernández title: COVID-19 pandemic repercussions on plastic and antiviral polymeric textile causing pollution on beaches and coasts of South America date: 2020-12-10 journal: Sci Total Environ DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144365 sha: 6b477b70f2f707bf87d9a1a5bf0f4126854d16bb doc_id: 1035403 cord_uid: 50n2wrs1 The propagation of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has been alarming in the last months. According to recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of face masks is essential for slowing down the transmission rate of COVID-19 in human beings. This pandemic has generated a substantial increase in the use, as well as in the production, of face masks and other elements (gloves, face protectors, protective suits, safety shoes) manufactured with polymeric materials, including antiviral textiles most of which will end as microplastic pools. Focusing on South America, the use and mismanagement of this type of personal protective equipment (PPE) represents an environmental problem. Added to this issue are the increase in the use of single-use plastic, and the reduction of plastic recycling due to the curfew generated by the pandemic, further aggravating plastic pollution on coasts and beaches. Recently, researchers have developed antiviral polymeric textile technology composed of Ag and Cu nanoparticles for PPE to reduce the contagion and spread of COVID-19. Antiviral polymeric textile wastes could also have long-term negative repercussions on aquatic environments, as they are an important emerging class of contaminants. For this reason, this work provides reflections and perspectives on how the COVID-19 pandemic can aggravate plastic pollution on beaches and coastal environments, consequently increasing the damage to marine species in the coming years. In addition, the potential impact of the pandemic on waste management systems is discussed here, as well as future research directions to improve integrated coastal management strategies. Plastic is one of the synthetic or semisynthetic materials that have revolutionized the twentieth century. It has several advantages over traditional materials in many application areas due to its versatility, resilience, abundance, transparency, lightness, and low cost, among others (Shrivastava, 2018) . According to the intrinsic or extrinsic properties of plastic between 9 and 20% in a period from 1945 to 2014 (Barragán and de Andrés, 2016) , which also means an increase in the pressure exerted on marine and coastal ecosystems, potentially compromising their health. One of the pressures is plastic litter generated in urban settlements, and consequently plastic contamination, which has become a worldwide threat exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the medium-long term, this could lead to an increase in pollution by MPs. A small number of researchers have reported MPs pollution on beaches, coasts, and rivers of South America before the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the Caribbean coast and beaches of Colombia (Acosta-Coley et al., 2015; Garces-Ordoñez et al., 2019; Rangel-Buitrago et al., 2019a) , and Magdalena River, Colombia (Martinez Silva and Nanny, 2020) . Galápagos Islands (Van Sebille et al., 2019) , and Guayllabamba River (Donoso and Rios-Touma, 2020) , in Ecuador. The beaches, gulfs, and channels of southern Chile (Hinojosa and Thiel, 2009; Hidalgo-Ruz and Thiel, 2013; Rangel-Buitrago et al., 2019b) , Perú-Chile coast (Perez-Venegas et al., 2020) , and beaches in Perú (Purca and Henostroza, 2017; De la Torre et al., 2020; Lannacone et al., 2020) . Río de la Plata, and Bahía Blanca estuaries (Acha et al., 2003; Pazos et al., 2017; Fernandez Severini et al., 2019; Forero et al., 2020) , Paraná River (Blettler et al., 2017; , beaches of the Southwestern Atlantic, and coastal areas of Puerto Madryn city: (Becherucci et al., 2017; Ríos et al., 2020) , in Argentina. Beaches of Punta del Este, and coast of Uruguay Atlantic, Uruguay (Lozoya et al., 2016; Rodríguez et al., 2020) , and Pantanal wetlands, Paraguay (Faria et al., 2019) . Beaches of Fernando Noronha island (Brazil) (Ivar et al., 2009) , beaches and coastal (Turra et al., 2014; Moreira et al., 2016; De Carvalho and Baptista et al., 2016; Neto et al., 2019a) , estuaries and bays (Lima et al., 2015; Castro et al., 2016; Alves and Figueiredo, 2019; Olivatto et al., 2019; Neto et al., 2019b) , in Brazil. In essence, the main findings showed that MPs levels are significant, and its distribution in the aquatic environment of this region is J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f highly variable, with a prevalence of fibers and fragments (secondary MPs) and pellet shape (primary MPs) in marine environments . For example, pellets were more commonly found on the Caribbean coast and beaches of Colombia (Acosta-Coley et al., 2015; Garces-Ordoñez et al., 2019; Rangel-Buitrago et al., 2019b) , while fibers were predominantly found in the rest of the beaches, coasts and estuaries of the region. Although there is a wide variety of polymers that make up MPs, these studies have also shown that the most common polymers found are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS), in these aquatic environments . On the other hand, Lebreton et al. (2017) presented a global model of plastic pollution inputs from rivers into oceans based on waste management, population density, and hydrological information. These authors suggested that in South America, the Magdalena River (Colombia's central waterway), and the Amazon River would be among the most plastic polluted rivers globally. These South American rivers present an annual input of 16,700 tons/year entering the Gulf of Mexico, and 39,900 tons/year going into the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, different ONGs performed a waste census in 813.554 m 2 on coastal areas of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, during 2018. These ONGs reported that more than 80% inorganic solid waste found on these beaches were plastics being the main ones bags, cigarette butts, bottles, nylon remains, and bottle tops (ONG Vida Silvestre, 2019). All this trash is a potential MPs source on these beaches and coastal areas. On the other hand, nanotechnology has made great technological contributions to science, engineered, industrial, and medicine due to their intrinsic properties (e.g., high specific surfaces, quantum effects) (Cookson and Wang, 2005; Patra and Gouda, 2013; Yetisen et al., 2016) . In particular, nanotechnology is employed in the textile industry to improve the textiles and fibers properties (e.g., conductivity/antistatic, resistance, thermal, UV-protection, self-cleaning). Due to hygiene, health, and well-being concerns have created an increasing demand for antimicrobial textiles in recent years. In particular, metals and metal-oxides nanoparticles are among the nanotechnology most employed in the textile industry due to antimicrobial properties (Yetisen et al., 2016) . According to antimicrobial activity mechanics of antimicrobial textiles, they can be divided into biostatic (inhibit the growth of microorganism) and biocidal (kill the microorganism). However, biostatic textiles are most employed due to preserving the natural bacterial flora of the skin (Bonaldi, 2018) . Nanoparticles from commercial textiles can be released during washing and/or abrasive exposure, causing their accumulation in water bodies and soil (Mazari et al., 2020) . Focusing on South America, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile due to their scientific capacity has been encouraging and developing nanotechnology and its incorporation into industrial processes in the last years (Foladori et al., 2013) . Actually, a variety of nanoparticles are available in different commercial products in the South American market such as clothes, sunscreen, and disinfectants, among others. Overall, this work provides a comprehensive reflection and perspectives over how the COVID-19 pandemic can aggravate plastic pollution on beaches and coastal environments in the next few years in South America and, consequently, increase the damage to some marine species. Moreover, the pandemic's potential impact on waste management systems and future research directions to improve the integrated coastal management strategies are discussed. Polymers are the most widely employed materials in the hospital-medical industry due to lighter weight, better biocompatibility, and lower cost. In particular, the PPE is manufactured with polymers and polymer fibers such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PUR), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), among others (Fadare and Okoffo, 2020; Prata et al., 2020) . The use of PPE, especially face mask, face protectors, and N95 medical mask has become an invaluable and critical resource to prevent and decrease pandemic spread around the world. There are different types of face masks available according to their use during the pandemic such as medical, filtering facepiece, and non-medical such as cloth masks (Rubio-Romero et al., 2020) . In general, medical face mask comprises three layers, an outer one of nonwoven fibers (they are water-resistant), a middle one (melt-blown filter, which is the primary filtering layer of the mask), and an inner layer (soft fibers) (Farade and Okoffo 2020). Prata et al. (2020) estimated 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves are utilized worldwide. This situation has led to a shortage of PPE, (especially medical masks) in many European and American countries. For this reason, some countries such as the USA and the Republic of Ireland (under emergency crises by COVID-19 pandemic) have applied strategies to implement reprocessing technologies and effective decontamination of disposable PPE using ultraviolet light (UV), ethylene oxide (EO), hydrogen peroxide vapor (VH 2 O 2 ) and chemicals liquid disinfectants among others (ilyas et al., 2020; Rowan and Laffey, 2020) . Moreover, It is worth mentioning that in order to achieve a good management and disinfection technology of the COVID-19 medical waste from hospital healthcare, and household waste from positive patients in mandatory quarantine, it must be taken into account the cost and maintenance of the adaptation of the MSW, as well as the volume, and type of waste generated (Ilyas et al., 2020; . Focusing on South American countries, during the pandemic, there was a shortage of PPE and alcohol gel as well as the raw materials for their manufacture. This shortage of PPE has led health workers and the South American population to dedicate themselves to making all kinds of improvised protective suits manufactured with garbage bags, and face masks elaborated with synthetic textiles (cloth mask), or paper. In particular, cloth masks are washable and cost-effective because they are manufactured with commercial synthetic textiles such as chiffon, spandex, cotton quilts, flannel synthetic silk, among others (Konda et al., 2020; Shruti et al., 2020) . These synthetic textiles are manufactured with polymers or polymers-natural fibers mixes. The most employed polymers in the manufacture of these synthetic textiles are polyester, nylon, or polyether-polyurea copolymer (Konda et al., 2020; Shruti et al., 2020) . Thus, these types of textiles may also contribute to the MPs pool as fibers, which are released during domestic washing into wastewaters and later reach wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) (Kutralam-Muniasamy, 2020). The consequent release J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f of these textile fibers into the oceans can be caused by laundry machines which fail in the retention of them as well as inefficient WWTPs in many South American countries. In April 2020, the use of face masks for everyone in public spaces was mandatory in most of these countries. In this way, for example, the Colombian plastic industry estimated an increase in the monthly manufacture of face masks (from 2 to 8-10 million), of N95 medical masks (from 60,000 to 100,000), and it imported over 2 million of gloves (Acoplasticos, 2020) . Likewise, the principal Latin American pulp and paper manufacturer reported the production of 18,5 million masks/month in Brazil, Chile, Perú, and Mexico (Groupenp, 2020) . For example, companies like Softys, installed the production of face masks in South American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Chile, where it estimates a monthly production of 20 million (SOFTYS, 2020) . Besides, Urban and Nakada (2020) evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Brazil's environment and solid waste management system. These authors reported that more than 85 million face masks might be daily disposed in Brazil. This strong demand in production and/or importation and the excessive use can lead to the mismanagement of medical waste by medical personnel and citizens due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the lack of knowledge about the type of domestic waste generated and its deficient classification by the people at home also contribute to the increased plastic pollution during the pandemic. This situation has alerted the scientific community due to the increase in plastic pollution in aquatic environments (Akber Abbasi et al., 2020; Aragaw, 2020; Fadare and Okoffo, 2020; Silva et al., 2020a and b; Prata et al., 2020; Shruti et al., 2020; Vanapalli et al., 2020) . Recent studies have already informed the potential danger of face mask fragmentation into MPs (Akber Abbasi et al., 2020; Aragaw, 2020; Fadare and Okoffo, 2020; Silva et al., 2020b; Shruti et al., 2020) . In addition to this plastic PPE waste, the pandemic has increased the use of other disposable plastics such as PP, HDPE, LDPE, PET , being also potential sources of MPs. Unlike J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f medical waste, which is generally treated as hazardous waste through incineration and autoclaving (Decree 06/2009; ICEX, 2018; CAITPA, 2020; MinSalud, 2020; National COEa) ; the increase in plastics and masks used by citizens is at the mercy of household waste management. On many South American coasts, it is increasingly common to find discarded chin straps and other personal protection items such as face masks or gloves, which are potential sources of MPs. Besides, as expected, in rivers and other tributaries which discharge in coastal environments like estuaries and beaches, the amount of these protective elements is very significant (Fig. 1) . Also, the ONG Argonauta Institute for Coastal and Marine Conservation reported the death of one Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) by the ingestion of an N95 face mask on the north coast (Juquehy beach) of the State of São Paulo, Brazil (ONG Argonauta, 2020) . This species of penguin migrates every year from Argentine Patagonia in search of food, but some get lost from their group and end up on Brazilian beaches (ONG Argonauta, 2020). Moreover, cloth masks also represent a danger to marine organisms because they can get caught with the straps. In this sense, there are currently several campaigns that ask people to cut the straps from the masks to avoid animals getting trapped in them. Thus, in the medium or long term many of these PPE, will end as MPs like authors recently mentioned in their works (e.g. Aragaw, 2020; Fadare and Okoffo, 2020; Silva et al., 2020b; Prata et al., 2020; Shruti et al., 2020) . Even if South American countries have presented an advance in the implementation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management, this system is not environmentally sustainable in many cities of these developing countries because of deficits and deficiency in final waste disposition (see , Table 1 ) (Kaza et al., 2018; Padilla and Trujillo, 2018; UNEP, 2018a) . In particular, these shortcomings in the MSW system have been accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lack of preparedness in managing the increased volume of medical waste, and essential services such as waste collection (UNSDG, 2020) . In this way, J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f Table 2 presents a summary of South American Solid waste management systems' deficiencies (before and during the pandemic) and future recommendations to improve the quality of these systems. Some of these recommendations are based on international-best evidence previously mentioned by other works (e.g. Prata et al., 2020; Sharma et al., 2020; Vanapalli et al., 2020) . MinJusticia, 2020), Chile until April (MMA Chile, 2020) and Perú until July (Gob.Pe, 2020) . In some Brazilian cities recycling programs were suspended however, in the city of São Paulo (the largest city of South America) they were not discontinued (ABES, 2020; Urban and Nakada, 2020) . Considering that recycling is fundamental to achieve the objectives of sustainable development, the activity of informal recyclers is substantial, since, in Latin America, they are the largest contributors to waste recycling (CODS, 2020) . Therefore, it is essential to move towards waste management focused on recycling, in an inclusive way to prevent pollution and protect resources (Varotto and Spagnolli, 2017; Ma et al., 2019) . Waste collectors must have formal integration and recognition, with insurance coverage and J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f protective logistics. In addition to the growing increase in PPE and disposable plastics, the pandemic has generated innovations and significant technological advances to avoid contagion (Hiragond et al., 2018; Chua et al., 2020; MinCyT, 2020) . The use of Ag and Cu nanoparticles with active functionalities to combat pathogens and guarantee asepsis is an example of this (Hiragond et al; Chua et al., 2020) . South American countries such as Argentina and Chile have marketed face masks with bactericidal, fungicidal, and antiviral properties (MinCyT, 2020; EFE, 2020) as well as the use of spray and gels with Cu nanoparticles (Inteco Chile, 2020) . This technology is being utilized to disinfect hospitals and nursing homes. It is known that synthetic or engineered nanoparticles have been denominated as emerging contaminants. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are those materials made up of many atoms or molecules bonded with each other, whose size ranges between 1 and 100 nm . ENPs have unique fundamental properties (electrical, optical, chemical, and physical) and biological activity that may differ significantly from ion and bulk materials (Simonsic and Tomsic, 2010; Malakar and Snow, 2020) . The properties of ENPs are mainly determined by their size-shape, composition, crystallinity, and structure (Simoncic and Tomsic, 2010; Malakar and Snow, 2020) . The ENPs can range from simple metal oxides to complex core-shell NPs (Delay and Frimmel, 2012) . Several studies have reported the release of ENPs in aquatic environments from commercial products and their long-term effect as a potential pollutant in these water sources and their extreme danger for aquatic organisms (Peters et al., 2018; Malakar et al., 2019) . Depending on nanoparticles' unique size and properties, their toxicity on organisms may be different from the bulk material (Malakar and Snow, 2020) . These authors informed that these nanoparticles might absorb and concentrate PHEs (e.g. Cr, measures, which prohibit certain single plastic items, must advance progressively throughout the entire territory. The lack of these regulations in other cities can affect lake waters and rivers that flow into the sea. In light of the remarkable changes in the environment under this pandemic context, we now have a unique opportunity to change previous bad habits in terms of natural resources, use and waste management. Also, emphasis should be placed on strengthening responsible and more sustainable tourism as a strategic axis for managing coastal environments (Boscarol et al., 2016) . The participation of various sectors must be active: i) the government/public sector, promoting regulations to leave single-use plastic behind, ii) civil societies and scientific/technical universities, researching the state of plastic pollution, working on the creation of new biodegradable materials, and educating citizens for best practices, and iii) the business sector, promoting services and activities dedicated to ecotourism within a sustainable perspective. Besides, cleaning and sanitation procedures, communication with tourists, and reducing the plastic footprint are important axes to be taken into account by the tourism sector (UNEP, 2020a). Furthermore, proper waste management is of utmost importance for cities and coastal towns, since their growth rate in most all Latin American countries is much higher than in inland regions. This supposes a constant pressure on the coastal spaces, compromising their health (Lemay, 1998) . Due to poor waste management, gloves, disinfectant bottles, masks and other plastic products resulting from the pandemic, have been found in the natural coastal environments of the main touristic destinations (The Guardian, 2020) . Part of coastal management is to prevent and avoid pollution , and in order to address MPs pollution, it must be first considered a socio-ecological problem. MPs not only affect the ecosystems where they accumulate, but they also have a political, social and economic impact (Kramm and Volker, 2018) . This is why strategies must go J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f beyond keeping beaches and surrounding coastal areas clean with citizen integration, education in sustainable consumption, different ways of recycling and betting on reduction. The role of citizens as responsible and participatory consumers is vital to enable the change towards more sustainable and healthy policies (Rojo-Nieto and Montoto, 2017). The political leadership must guarantee an investment in waste management systems including recyclers. Policies that allow and facilitate the change of single-use plastics for more ecological products, contemplating laws of responsibility extended to the producer and use standardized labeling are necessary. Similarly, companies should start looking for environmentally friendly alternative products. In addition, research should play a very important role to guide public policies, by informing about the state of pollution on the coasts, and creating monitoring programs and evaluations (UNEP, 2020b). On the other hand, there is no doubt that nanotechnology has made a significant contribution to different fields such as modern medicine, technology, biotechnology, and engineering, among others disciplines. Due to the diversity of ENPs and their excellent intrinsic properties, they are currently available in different commercial products, technologies, and services from different branches of the economy worldwide. However, there is a growing concern in the scientific community about the indiscriminate use of ENPs, their mismanagement, and poor environmental control (Auffan et al., 2011) . As this technology grows, derived studies on its possible effects on coastal and marine biota and bioaccumulation continue to lag. It is not possible to manage without information. Finally, in all marine and coastal environments, plastic litter threatens the environment, health, and human activities (UNEP, 2020c) . Therefore, to address this problem, many approaches at various levels (local, national, regional and international) and with an interrelation between social, economic, political, and environmental dimensions are needed to achieve an effective and integrated management (da Costa et al., 2020) . In this J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f way, a summary of recommendations to take into account for coastal management to decrease plastics waste on beaches and coastal areas are presented in Table 3 . Finally, it is necessary to rethink when, how and which plastic to use in our daily lives, and if they are indispensable, to allow a real reduction in the long-term. In the short-term governments should improve waste management, incentive citizens as much as possible to reduce, recycle and offer funds for the designing of new plastics with low or null environmental impact. Ecosystems and socioeconomic systems in coastal areas are some of the most threatened by global environmental changes and there is a need to significantly reduce the amount of plastic reaching these environments (de Alencar, 2020). The deficiencies in waste management, unreliable recycling habits and low percentage of waste recovery in many South American countries have been accentuated during this Microplastic pollution is an invisible enemy with potential adverse effects on marine J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f environment and humans. People, companies and industries, should avoid as much as possible, the use of plastics, and countries should improve sewage discharge treatments, as well as management of bigger plastics. Thus, it is necessary to focus on the critical points of plastic pollution, and work on them not only with political will, but also with citizen collaboration. Deficiencies in management systems must be addressed as a primary objective to achieve sustainable development and to reduce the environmental impact caused by waste on coasts and seas. Also, it is of utmost importance to apply strategies and policies to achieve a more sustainable, responsible and eco-friendly coastal tourism, strengthening the environmental care and respect. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Poor infrastructure and facilities for waste disposal and recycling in some cities and towns. The facilities were partially or totally closed during the first months due to the COVID-19 public curfew policies. -Investing in infrastructure and sorting plants will reduce the use of raw materials and waste going to landfills and create new job opportunities. -Developing sustainable technologies to convert waste into energy (composting, thermal gasification, treatment biological mechanic, incineration). -Focusing on developing new and sustainable technologies to recycle mixed or complex plastic into pristine polymers. Incomplete solid waste collection services in some rural and urban areas. Solid waste collection services were partially suspended in some rural and urban areas, and collection frequency decreased in others. -Increasing the number of trucks and/or the frequency of recollection and with differentiation in the type of waste. If this is not possible, drop-off sites can be used for the collection of paper, cardboard, glass and light packaging, being this a good solution widely used by European countries. Low percentage of waste recycling The tasks of formal and informal recyclers and recycling plants were hampered by the partial or total closure. Fear of contagion from recyclers due to lack of PPE during their working hours. -Achieving cooperation between formal and informal collectors and recyclers. It is crucial to formally integrate informal waste pickers and provide them with the necessary insurance coverage and PPE to ensure safe work. Including recyclers will increase the number of recycled materials. The amount of waste during the pandemic increased or decreased according to each country, also its composition changed. -Promoting studies for the characterization of waste. This is essential to develop adequate waste management strategies. The proportion of the different waste fractions will determine the waste collection protocols and waste treatment technologies to be used. -Designing a system based on information from local governments and consolidating it at national level. Small advances and changes in solid waste management and recycling laws and policies Deficiencies in the management system were exacerbated, especially in countries with poor infrastructure, sustainable technologies, and policies. -Advancing in the legislation and environmental policies that define strategies, institutional support, and regulatory frameworks. -Creating State policies to favor the purchase of recycled products. -Promoting planning and development policies of solid waste management according to fastest-growing and most developed cities. -Encouraging the study for the improvement and integration of waste management systems, including different combinations of treatments throughout their stages (example combination of recycling, composting and landfilling). -Articulating waste management policies with environmental education. The capacity constraints of in-situ incinerators and central treatment facilities result in illegal dumping of waste into suburban areas, streams, marshlands, etc., raising public health concerns. -Adopting measures to improve the comprehensive management of hospital waste. -Applying new technologies such as autoclaving, gas sterilization, chemical disinfection, microwave treatment, irradiation and thermal inactivation. -Burying collected waste in a close pit with a clay or geo-synthetic lining at the bottom should be practiced during emergencies (like COVID-19) for safe disposal of hospital waste especially in lowincome countries,. -Prioritizing the use of automated treatment facilities with minimum operator involvement. -Achieving universal standardization based on type and nature of medical waste. -Training health personnel to avoid excessive waste generation. Incipient use of nanoparticles for antibacterial purposes Increased use of textile fibers impregnated with Ag and Cu nanoparticles for manufacturing face masks and commercial products. -Monitoring water courses systematically, accompanied by derived studies on their possible effects on the coast and marine biota. -Encouraging reuse and teaching about the correct disposal of impregnated textiles once they have reached their useful life. Table 3 . Summary of the most relevant aspects to consider in coastal management to decrease plastic pollution as a cause of the COVID-19 pandemic on South American beaches and coasts. National governments and the international community -Intensifying taxes and bans on single-use plastics, working with trade and industry associations, retailers, plastics manufacturers to implement the change as soon as possible. -Eradicating open dumps, in cities near the coast. -Working on laws that implement the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). -Promoting economic incentives, supporting projects for recycling single-use items and stimulating the creation of micro-enterprises. -Stimulating research on the development of sustainable technologies to recycle mixture and J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f complex plastics packaging. -Providing educational programs from children. -Working on joint measures with neighboring countries. Tourist and private industry -Promoting ecotourism. -Implement UNWTO recommendations on the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative. -Informing tourists about plastic footprint reduction targets. -Following UNEP recommendations on prioritizing disinfection to avoid the spread of the virus, instead of intensifying the indiscriminate use of single-use plastics. -Using local production and stimulating its consumption to help reduce the generation of plastic packaging waste. -Reducing multi-layer packaging and promoting the use of homogeneous plastic packaging materials that are easier to recycle. Scientific community -Working on the planning of monitoring and evaluation programs -Identifying possible solutions to guide political sectors. -Offering educational programs and scientific diffusion for the community. Citizens -Being responsible consumers by choosing reusable products. -Participating in recycling programs. -Eliminating or reducing as much as possible the use of single-use-plastics. -Advocating for change by means of social pressure on both policy makers and manufacturers to help reduce plastic pollution. 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Evento Coronavirus Servicio Nacional de Gestión de riesgos y emergencias [National Service for Risk and Emergency Management Community Perceptions of Tourism Impacts on Coastal Protected Areas Environmental behavior and ecotoxicity of engineered nanoparticles to algae, plants, and fungi The impact of sediment dumping sites on the concentrations of microplastic in the inner continental shelf of Rio de Janeiro/Brazil Microplastics and attached microorganisms in sediments of the Vitória bay estuarine system in SE Brazil Microplastic contamination in surface waters in Guanabara Bay River Dynamics and Nanopaticles formation: Acomprehensive Study on the Nanoparticle Geochemistry of Suspended Sediments in the Magdalena River, Caribbean Industrial Area Pinguim é encontrado morto após o feriado 7 de setembro e necropsia do Instituto Argonauta revela máscara embrulhada no estômago do animal Censo de basura costero marina marca que más del 80% de los residuos en las playas bonaerenses son plásticos Ordinance 4102/12. Honorable Concejo Deliberante de Pinamar COVID-19 Impacts on Beaches and Coastal Water Pollution: Management Proposals Post-pandemic Toxicological interactions induced by chronic exposure to gold nanoparticles and microplastics mixtures in Daphnia magna Waste disposal and households' heterogeneity. Identifying factors shaping attitudes towards source-separated recycling in Bogotá, Colombia. Waste Manage Pan American Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Application of Nanotechnology in Textile Engineering: An Overview Constraints and priorities for conducting experimental exposures of marine organisms to microplastics Microplastics in gut contents of coastal freshwater fish from Río de la Plata estuary Monitoring the occurrence of microplastic ingestion in Otariids along the Peruvian and Chilean coasts Detection of nanoparticles in Dutch surface waters COVID-19 pandemic repercussions on the use and management of plastics Presencia de microplásticos en cuatro playas arenosas de Perú Biodegradation Behavior of Textiles Impregnated with Ag and TiO2 Nanoparticles in Soil Litter impacts on cleanliness and environmental status of Atlantico department beaches, Colombian Caribbean coast Marine debris occurrence along Las Salinas beach, Viña del Mar (Chile): magnitudes, impacts and management Red Lacre, 2020. The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Waste Pickers Recicladores Latinoamericanos en tiempos de pandemia Assessing urban microplastic pollution in a benthic habitat of Patagonia Argentina Mesoplastics and large microplastics along a use gradient on the Uruguay Atlantic coast: types, sources, fates, and chemical loads Basuras marinas, plásticos y microplásticos: orígenes, impactos y consecuencias de una amenaza global [Marine litter, plastics and microplastics: origins, impacts and consequences of a global threat Challenges and solutions for addressing critical shortage of supply chain for personal and protective equipment (PPE) arising from Coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic -Case study from the Republic of Ireland Disposable masks: Disinfection and sterilization for reuse, and non-certified manufacturing, in the face of shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic Rethinking and optimising plastic waste management under COVID-19 pandemic: Policy solutions based on redesign and reduction of single-use plastics and personal protective equipment Increased plastic pollution due to COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and recommendations Challenges, opportunities, and innovations for effective solid waste management during and post COVID -19 pandemic Plastic Properties and Testing. Introduction to Plastics Engineering Reusable masks for COVID-19: A missing piece of the microplastic problem during the global health crisis Structures of Novel Antimicrobial Agents for Textiles -A Review Softys comenzará a fabricar barbijos en argentina con distribución gratuita durante la emergencia sanitaria América Latina ¿Que se fabrica en plástico The Amount Of Plastic Waste Is Surging Because Of The Coronavirus Pandemic More masks than jellyfish: coronavirus waste ends up in the ocean Plastics, the environment and human health: current consensus and future trends Social-environmental indicators in applied management of coastal environments. Case study Santa Catarina, Brazil. 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Global Initiative on Tourism and Plastics Covid-19 pandemic: Solid waste and environmental impacts in Brazil Marine Debris and biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean Challenges and strategies for effective plastic waste management during and post COVID-19 pandemic Basin-scale sources and pathways of microplastic that ends up in the Galápagos Archipelago Psychological strategies to promote household recycling. A systematic review with meta-analysis of validated field interventions A baseline study of microplastics in the burrowing crab (Neohelice granulata) from a temperate southwestern Atlantic estuary Disinfection technology of hospital wastes and wastewater: Suggestions for disinfection strategy during coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in China The Processes for Fabricating Nanopowders WHO. World Health Organization, 2020. Considerations for public health and social measures in the workplace in the context of COVID-19. World Health Organization website Shortage of personal protective equipment endangering health workers worldwide. News release-Geneva The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: A review Adsorption behavior of organic pollutants and metals on micro/nanoplastics in the aquatic environment Indirect effects of COVID-19 on the environment Growth inhibition of the microalgae Skeletonema costatum under copper nanoparticles with microplastic exposure We thank D. Truchet, Y. López, J. Charry Tejera, M. Forero López, Alejandra Saez, and J.Mizerniuk for providing some of the photographs about face masks and plastics taken during the pandemic in different places of South America. We also wish to thank Prof. Madeleine Raño for correcting the manuscript English language. Journal Pre-proof This study was part of a doctoral scholarship granted to Lic. Maialen Ardusso and a postdoctoral scholarship granted to Dr. A.D. Forero López in both cases by the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET).