Use your Google Account to sign in to...

The most irritating of pop-ups if you choose to be logged out of your google account.

But if you remain logged into your account and want to stop the prompts to “Use your Google Account to sign in to...”

  1. Open your Google Account.

  2. Choose Security.

  3. Scroll down to "Signing in to other sites" and choose Signing in with Google.

  4. Toggle Off


Mask Avenger

Time the Avenger

Everything's on loan here

Fate of face masks after being discarded into seawater: Aging and microbial colonization

…The increasing density of masks due to biofouling results in their sinking within 1 month in seawater, which is a crucial event that delivers the masks to different layers of the ocean and dramatically increases the polluted area. In addition, the biofilm formed by microbials on masks made them a niche plastisphere environment that could dramatically influence the microbial community and aging process of masks. With nutrients and marine organisms on their surfaces, masks could be eaten by mistake by marine animals such as fishes, birds, or even mammals like whales, which has already been reported in news and surveys.

...billions of used facemasks have been released into oceans.
…The results demonstrated that the masks in seawater aged significantly after 30-days exposure in seawater. Fouling organisms developed on mask surfaces and resulted in the negative buoyance of the masks. Masks could act as carriers of potential pathogenic bacteria in marine environment.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) disposal during COVID-19: An emerging source of microplastic and microfiber pollution in the environment

…The consumption of PPE in healthcare facilities and households pollutes the environment in the form of plastic waste and MP/MF contamination. In 2020 alone, approximately 1.5 billion masks were washed out into the seas, and the amount is equal to 200 tons of additional plastic waste, thus threatening the aquatic and terrestrial biota.

…Huge amounts of plastic waste from PPE have been produced worldwide due to improper disposal, landfilling, and incineration techniques, and they pollute aquatic ecosystems. Consequently, the amount of PPE waste reaching the marine environment increases and will even progress.

Nanoplastics and other harmful pollutants found in disposable face masks

…research reveals high levels of pollutants, including lead, antimony, and copper, within the silicon-based and plastic fibres of common disposable face masks.

…The findings reveal significant levels of pollutants in all the masks tested -- with micro/nano particles and heavy metals released into the water during all tests. Researchers conclude this will have a substantial environmental impact and, in addition, raise the question of the potential damage to public health -- warning that repeated exposure could be hazardous as the substances found have known links to cell death, genotoxicity and cancer formation.

A review of disposable facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic: A focus on microplastics release

…DFMs are widely used for the control of the virus spreading. DFMs produced from non-degradable petrochemicals are hazardous medical wastes. The alarming rise in facemask usage causes a huge task for disposal this wastes. Recent studies prove the release of MPs from DFMs in aquatic environment, which will induce severe threats and pollution.

…the panic of the public. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are widely utilized for frontline health workers to face the ongoing epidemic, especially disposable face masks (DFMs) to prevent airborne transmission of coronavirus. The overproduction and massive utilization of DFMs seriously challenge the management of plastic wastes. A huge amount of DFMs are discharged into environment, potentially induced the generation of microplastics (MPs) owing to physicochemical destruction. The MPs release will pose severe contamination burden on environment and human. In this review, environmental threats of DFMs regarding to DFMs fate in environment and DFMs threats to aquatic and terrestrial species were surveyed.

…Approximate 1.56 billion facemasks were discharge into the marine area in 2020

..Each face mask released over one billion of Microplastics. The particles were irregularly-shaped with size from 5 nm to 600 μm, and most of them were nanoscale.

[doing the math… 1.56 quintillion microplastic particles from masks in 2020.]

the Ocean Plastic Pollution Problem

…COVID-19 triggered an estimated global use of 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves every month. If we stitched together all of the masks manufactured already, and projected to be produced, we’d be able to cover the entire landmass of Switzerland.

…The practical problems with gloves and masks finding their way into our rivers and oceans is that they can easily be mistaken for jellyfish, a favorite food of sea turtles. Because of their elastic components, masks also have increased risks of entanglement for a wide variety of fish, animals and birds.

Paper or Plastic?

…High concentrations of floating neustonic life in the plastic-rich North Pacific Garbage Patch

Our data suggest higher concentrations of floating life and plastic inside than outside the NPGP, and positive correlations between the logs of neuston concentrations and the log of plastic concentration for 3 out of 5 neuston taxa, Velella, Porpita, and Janthina. The obligate neustonic taxa Velella, Porpita, and Janthina may be concentrated by the same physical forces that concentrate plastic within the region and these concentrations may be important for the ecology of these species.

…A study published in mid-April offers some clues as to which traveling species could pose a problem. Researchers at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center examined 105 pieces of plastic debris they had obtained in frozen form from TOC. They found traces of species normally found in coastal waters that had used floating plastic as rafts and ended up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—in particular nets, ropes, buoys, boxes, and cylindrical eel traps from the fishing industry. Some species also appeared to reproduce in their new offshore home. For example, some shrimp-like amphipods were carrying eggs in their brood pouches.

…Helm has not shied away from publicly criticizing TOC, pointing out that the nets it uses to collect plastic could inadvertently trap neuston. Many species are not capable of swimming. By-the-wind sailors, for example, have a small stiff sail that sticks out of the water to catch the wind, while blue buttons and violet snails rely on currents to drift through the ocean. They are small creatures, but so are the meshes in the nets. And if neustonic species were killed in large numbers, it could have an impact on the turtles, fish, seabirds, and other animals that eat them.

The potential for a plastic recycling facility to release microplastic pollution and possible filtration remediation effectiveness

…Now, an alarming new study has found that even when plastic makes it to a recycling center, it can still end up splintering into smaller bits that contaminate the air and water. This pilot study focused on a single new facility where plastics are sorted, shredded, and melted down into pellets. Along the way, the plastic is washed several times, sloughing off microplastic particles—fragments smaller than 5 millimeters—into the plant’s wastewater.

PAPER IS HIGHLY RECYCLED AND NATURALLY SUSTAINABL

Paper is based on wood, a natural and renewable material. Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world and epitomises the circular economy model of make, use, recycle and reuse.

…The paper industry uses respected forestry certification schemes to ensure that virgin fibre originates from sustainable sources. The two most recognised certification schemes are Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™). For more information on sustainable forestry,

…There’s a misconception, he says, that paper companies in the US cut down old-growth forests. “But most, if not all, paper companies harvest their wood in a sustainable fashion so that there is no net loss of forest land,” he says. The American Forest and Paper Association wrote in their 2020 annual report that 99 percent of their members get wood fiber from certified sustainable suppliers that take measures to replant trees and reduce the risk of wildfire. Some countries like Canada even have strict forest sustainability laws.

Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes

…A scammer could use AI to clone the voice of your loved one. All he needs is a short audio clip of your family member's voice — which he could get from content posted online — and a voice-cloning program. When the scammer calls you, he’ll sound just like your loved one.

So how can you tell if a family member is in trouble or if it’s a scammer using a cloned voice?

Don’t trust the voice. Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story. Use a phone number you know is theirs. If you can’t reach your loved one, try to get in touch with them through another family member or their friends.

Scammers ask you to pay or send money in ways that make it hard to get your money back. If the caller says to wire money, send cryptocurrency, or buy gift cards and give them the card numbers and PINs, those could be signs of a scam.

If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.