Laundry A Top Source of Microplastic Pollution, Microfibers; Tips Washing Clothes More Sustainably👖

[appalachiablue]

'Laundry is a top source of microplastic pollution – here’s how to clean your clothes more sustainably,' Yahoo, The Conversation,
Judith Weis, Rutgers Univ., Newark, Sept. 1, 2024. - Ed. (Photo caption): LAUNDRY WASHWATER is a major source of microplastic fibers that can end up in water and soil. 👕
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Microplastics are turning up everywhere, from remote mountain tops to deep ocean trenches. They also are in many animals, including humans.

The most common microplastics in the environment are microfibers – plastic fragments shaped like tiny threads or filaments. Microfibers come from many sources, including cigarette butts, fishing nets and ropes, but the biggest source is synthetic fabrics, which constantly shed them. Textiles shed microfibers while they are manufactured, worn and disposed of, but especially when they are washed.

A single wash load can release several million microfibers.

Many factors affect how many fibers are released, including fabric type, mechanical action, detergents, temperature and the duration of the wash cycle. My research focuses on coastal ecology and water pollution, including work in NY and NJ marshes and estuaries that are heavily affected by human activities. Here are some things to know about reducing microplastic pollution from your washing machine. - From fabric to water and soil. Once garments release microfibers in washing machines, the fibers enter the wastewater stream, which generally goes to a wastewater treatment plant.

Advanced treatment plants can remove up to 99% of microfibers from water. But since a single laundry load can produce millions of fibers, treated water discharged from the plant still contains a huge number of them. Microfibers that are removed during treatment end up in sewage sludge – a mix of solid materials that is processed to remove pathogens. In many cases, treated sewage sludge is applied to soil as a fertilizer. This allows microfibers to enter air and soil, and to be transferred to soil organisms and up the terrestrial food web or taken up by crops.

Microplastics that wash into rivers, lakes and bays can have many harmful effects.

They may be consumed by fish and other aquatic animals, affecting their biochemistry, physiology, reproduction, development or behavior. These microplastics contain chemical additives, including substances like phthalates and bisphenol A that can leach out and may have health effects in humans and animals, including effects on the endocrine system. Textile microfibers also contain additional chemicals that have been shown to be toxic, such as fabric dyes, anti-wrinkle agents and flame retardants. - Washing more sustainably. Read More:
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/laundry-top-source-microplastic-pollution-145855072.html#:~

[progree]

1. hearts, brains, testicles, and microplastics

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/the-world-is-producing-57-million-tons-of-plastic-pollution-per-year-new-study-finds

. . . Several studies this year have looked at how prevalent microplastics are in our drinking water and in people’s tissue, such as hearts, brains (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11100893/ ) and testicles ( https://academic.oup.com/toxsci/article-abstract/200/2/235/7673133 ), with doctors and scientists still not quite sure what it means in terms of human health threats.

. . . The United Nations projects that plastics production is likely to rise from about 440 million tons (400 million metric tons) a year to more than 1,200 million tons (1,100 million metric tons ((by 2050, according to the link -progree)), saying “our planet is choking in plastic.”

In the latest (Sept 6) issue of The Week, there is a blurb about the situation in U.S. as far as plastics in the brain. In part:

The 2024 samples had 50% greater microplastics weight than the samples from 2016. . . . 24 of 91 brains sampled had so much plastic that it constituted about 0.5% of the brain by weight

[appalachiablue]

2. Thanks for posting critical material on the toxic planetary monster.