Dr. Shoshanah Jacobs, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, spoke to Global News about the abundance of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) kits washing up on the country’s shorelines.

Jasobs notes that while disposable masks may appear to be made of paper or natural fabric, they are made with polymers that could take years to decompose.

Jacobs led recently published research that found discarded PPE accumulating everywhere, including in grocery store parking lots and residential neighbourhoods. In that paper, Jacobs and co-authors called for more accessible PPE disposal methods and more public awareness of the disposal problem through promotion and education.

Among other areas of research, Jacobs studies STEM pedagogy and androgogy and curriculum design, exploring methods for designing disruptive models to exist within traditional frameworks.