Since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared as a global health emergency, the use of multiple types of plastic-based PPEs as a measure to reduce the infection increased tremendously. Recent evidence suggests that the overuse of PPEs during the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening plastic pollution in the marine environment. In this short focus, we discussed the potential sources, fate, and effects of PPE plastic to the marine environment and proposed five key research needs, involving (1) the occurrence and abundance of PPEs, (2) the sources, fate, and drivers of PPEs, (3) PPEs as a source of microplastics, (4) PPEs as a vector of invasive species and pathogens, and (5) PPEs as a source and vector of chemical pollutants in the marine environment. We suggest that addressing these knowledge gaps will lay the groundwork for improved COVID-19-associated waste management and legislation to prevent marine plastic pollution to continue exacerbating.

自从 COVID-19 爆发被宣布为全球卫生紧急事件以来，使用多种塑料基 PPE 作为减少感染的措施的情况大大增加。最近的证据表明，在 COVID-19 大流行期间过度使用 PPE 正在加剧海洋环境中的塑料污染。在这个简短的焦点中，我们讨论了 PPE 塑料的潜在来源、归宿和对海洋环境的影响，并提出了五个关键研究需求，涉及 (1) PPE 的发生和丰度，(2) 来源、归宿和驱动因素PPE，(3) PPE 作为微塑料的来源，(4) PPE 作为入侵物种和病原体的载体，以及 (5) PPE 作为海洋环境中化学污染物的来源和载体。