In 2020 as the number of deaths from co-vid climbed around the world, we turned to face masks as a source of protection. It wasn’t long before a new environmental hazard emerged. Discarded masks began appearing everywhere— in the streets, on beaches, and in parks. Completed toward the end of 2020, Protection Pollution is made up of 550 photographs, each representing 1000 lives lost to COVID in the United States. At the time it was completed, the 550,000 Americans had died. By the time this piece was exhibited at ArtsWestchester in May 2021 that number had more than doubled.