A mask on the ground in downtown Morgantown. Mask pollution, since the start of COVID-19, has been a problem for West Virginia wildlife as the plastic masks being littered across the state and country not only affect the animals and their environment but can also lead to health deficits in humans. âThere's really no excuse to pollute the environment with plastic masks and other plastics,â said Kirsten Stephan, teaching associate professor of forest management in the division of forestry and natural resources at WVU. Animals may get entangled in or accidentally ingest discarded masks. Veterinarians are seeing dogs especially have eaten masks.