I Sea Masks - November 2020

I Sea Masks - November 2020

A photo series I created in 2020 as the world stood still during the pandemic.

Model - Elina Stanek

"As the pandemic continues, people will continue wearing masks too. That is great, as wearing masks slows the spread of the virus and therefore saves lives.
But with mandatory mask wearing, people will also keep using single use masks. Single use masks have a lifespan of 450 years, which means they will be around way longer than this pandemic and any human living today. As single use masks are considered medical waist, they also can't be recycled.
Environmental organisations were already sounding alarm six months ago, that we might soon have more masks in the sea than jellyfish. That was 4 months after the first confirmed case in Europe.
Of course, single use masks have their place in medical situations, since medical staff are at higher risk of being in contact with someone who has COVID-19. For non medical staff, this is not the case.
The easy solution is to wear a reusable mask. A simple cotton fabric can already give an average of 79 percent protection for the wearer against particles of the size of this virus. (Not considering the exponentially growing protection if two parties wear a mask and remain in proper distance to each other)
If this year has shown us anything, it is that we have to be careful with our choices.
Lets try not to create more problems while we are trying to solve the ones we already have."

All masks used for this picture have been used for medical purposes before being disinfected and reused for this project.

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/08/more-masks-than-jellyfish-coronavirus-waste-ends-up-in-ocean
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/face-masks-coronavirus-environment-climate-change-b1721922.html
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.0c03252