How Laundry has Become the Predominant Source of Global Microplastic Pollution
Image Source: Flickr.com
By Samantha Saverin
That’s right, 35% of the microplastics in the ocean are microfibers from domestic laundry. Microfibers are primary microplastics , meaning that they are created to be small in size, similar to microbeads, rather than secondary microplastics which are microplastics that have fragmented from larger plastic items due to damage and weathering (usually from food containers, disposable utensils, and fishing equipment). Microfibers are created by the polymerization of oil monomers to create plastic polymers . These plastic polymers are formed into plastic pellets and are eventually extruded and spun into yarn that is used to create synthetic fabrics for textiles such as rugs, furniture, and clothing.
Currently, 60% of all clothing manufactured globally is created from synthetic fabrics such as polyester, acrylic, nylon, and spandex. Synthetic fabrics are preferred by the fast fashion industry because they are versatile, inexpensive, and abundant enough to produce large quantities of clothing. These qualities support the fast fashion business model of rapid clothing output to meet the pace and demand of trend culture. This business model carries several negative social and environmental issue impacts such as poor working conditions for underpaid garment workers and widescale textile waste from overproduction of clothing. Additionally, fast fashion garments are not designed to withstand long term wear, creating a phenomenon of “single-use clothing” where synthetic garments are treated in a similar fashion to single-use plastics – worn once, maybe twice, then discarded.
The issue of microfiber pollution arises when synthetic fabrics are washed. As synthetic clothing is washed, thousands of microfibers are released into the surrounding water. These microfibers flow unobstructed through the drain of the washing machine, and into the sewage system to wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). WWTPs are not equipped with the technology to effectively filter out microfibers, therefore, most microfibers often flow freely through WWTPs into waterways, eventually concentrating in creeks, rivers, lakes, and the ocean.
In general, the issue of microplastic pollution has become associated with coastal states because it is widely perceived as an ocean issue. However, this is not the case. Plastic pollution is a water issue, impacting all bodies of water, regardless of location or whether they are fresh, frozen, or salt water. This brings the issue of microplastic pollution to inland states, such as Colorado, where microfibers have been detected in samples of tap water, rain, and beer.
The presence of microfibers in any ecosystem carries a variety of environmental health risks to wildlife. Microplastics can cause harm to organisms that ingest particles by blocking their digestive tract, diminishing appetite, and impacting eating habits.
Recent studies have found that microplastics may pose a serious public health risk to human health. Humans can experience physical health impacts from consuming or inhaling microplastic particles. Humans can also experience chemical health impacts from ingestion of microplastics containing toxic chemicals. Microplastics act as a carrier for toxic chemicals in the environment, attracting toxins and carrying them as the microplastic travels through the ecosystem, eventually entering the system of a human or wildlife. Toxins from microplastics have been found to cause endocrine disruption, cancer, and reproductive issues. Further, as microplastics break down further, they have the potential to become nano-plastics, which are a rising concern for public health due to their size and ability to travel through the human body and penetrate tissue and organs.
While it is clear that microfibers are an emerging issue and carry significant public and environmental health concerns, it is surprising that laws and regulations to reduce microfiber pollution have been few and far between. In the United States, California and Connecticut are currently the only states that have embraced legislative action to address microfiber pollution. California has introduced a bill requiring microfiber filters on all washing machines and is collaborating with the clothing industry to develop best practices to reduce microfiber pollution. Unfortunately, the bill in California has not passed despite a second attempt to re-introduce the bill in 2018. Connecticut also took action on microfiber pollution in 2018, passing legislation that established a microfiber working group to develop consumer awareness and education programs to inform the public on microfiber pollution.
While these policy measures are making progress on raising awareness of microfiber pollution, it is clear from the lack of regulation of plastic pollution as a whole in the United States, that stronger and more comprehensive solutions are necessary. This is especially critical because only 9% of plastics are actually recycled. Meanwhile, there are estimates that plastic production is expected to double by 2050, including the market for synthetic fabrics which is expected to increase substantially. These estimates correlate with predictions that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.
Strong, comprehensive solutions to address microfiber pollution will require regulation at each step of a synthetic garment’s lifecycle. At the creation stage of a synthetic garment, government entities should implement policies requiring responsible manufacturing of synthetic clothing to regulate the volume of synthetic garments in the market, require the attachment of warnings labels informing the consumer of a synthetic garment’s impact from releasing microfibers, and reduce the extraction of fossil fuels – a synthetic garment’s key ingredient. During the synthetic garment’s lifecycle, governmental entities could implement regulations requiring microfiber filters on all washing machines, and fund research to develop updated wastewater treatment plant technology that is capable of filtering microfibers from wastewater. At the end of a synthetic garment’s lifecycle, government entities can offers services to aid in the proper disposal of clothing through municipal waste management services, implement tax or other financial benefits to clothing companies that offer recycling programs for their synthetic garments, and hold clothing companies accountable for failure to mitigate clothing waste. At all stages, it is critical to spread awareness of microfiber pollution and educate citizens on the environmental benefits of sustainable consumer habits, including buying less clothing and best practices to care for clothing.