A new study conducted by England’s Plymouth University indicates that washing clothing made from synthetic materials is polluting waterways and poisoning our food chain.
According to the study, laundering polyester and acrylic fibers causes heavy shedding of tiny plastic threads – as many as 1,363,000 per
standard load – which drain into oceans, rivers, and lakes via wastewater runoff.
More pervasive and prevalent than microbeads, which were banned in 2015, synthetic microfibers accumulate into plastic lint that makes up 71% of global plastic marine pollution. The toxic fibers weave their way into the gastrointestinal tracts of fish – often proving fatal – and pose a subsequent threat to any animal that preys on them, including humans. An estimated 25% of fish sold in US markets contain plastic debris.
You can read more about how synthetic fibers are polluting the ocean at QZ.
