The Used Masks of The Food Industry Employees During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Did the Mask Promote Other Diseases While Protecting from the Coronavirus? A Survey Study Supported by Microbiological Data

Objective: Use of disposable face masks helps prevent infection by airborne pathogens. The effectiveness of such masks in excluding diseases and contaminants depends on many factors. As a result of misuse, mask loses its protective role and becomes a source of microbial contamination. It is aimed to investigate the attitudes of food workers towards use of masks in proportion to the bacterial load and microorganism species in the masks they wear. Method: Total aerobic mesophilic, Yeast-mould and Coliform counts were determined as log colony forming units per mL. Phenotypically different colonies grown on three different agar plates were purified and fresh cultures were classified using matrix assisted laser desorption/ ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Results: In this study, bacterial contamination was found at different levels on all tested (103) disposable face masks. The screened bacterial pathogens by MALDI-TOF MS Bacillus cereus was detected at the highest level 17.86%, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Kurthia gibsonii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with rates 14.29%, 10.72%, 7.14%, and 7.14%, respectively. Long-term working, inappropriate mask usage, poor hygiene attitudes of employees, and the fact that staff wore the mask out of need rather than for its protective advantage all signal that the investigated masks had low microbiological quality. Conclusion: The findings show that because most masks used by food industry employees to protect themselves from COVID-19 and avoid infecting others contain bacteria of intestinal origin, serious health problems may occur in both employees who use contaminated masks and consumers who consume food contaminated by mask contamination.