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Researchers have found that microfibers in clothing are the most widespread form of microplastic pollution in the Arctic.
Laundry in European and North American homes could have a significant impact on the amount of microplastics in the world’s oceans.
That’s the find that conservation group Ocean Wise and the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans came up with. Researchers from these organizations collected seawater samples from across the Arctic and found that a disturbing 92 percent of the microplastic contamination present was synthetic fibers. Of this proportion, another 73% was polyester, which the team says resembles synthetic textiles found in clothing.
Approximately 50% of our clothing is made of plastic² and during a typical wash, a single garment can release up to 700,000 fibers³.
The surprising conclusion here is that we now have strong evidence that households in Europe and North America are directly polluting the Arctic with fibers from clothing, through the discharge of sewage.
Peter Ross, Ocean Wise and the University of British Columbia
Ross is the lead author of an article published in the magazine. Nature¹ documenting the team’s findings.
Microplastics: small particles, big problems
Although scientists already knew that plastic microparticles from human activities had infiltrated some of the most pristine and tranquil regions on the planet, with microplastics found in areas as remote as the Mariana Trench and in snow from the mountains of the Pyrenees, the document shines light on the shocking extent of this pollution.
Ross goes on to explain to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that so far, the team is unsure of the mechanism responsible for distributing these synthetic fibers, but is reasonably sure that ocean currents play an important role in transporting the fibers to the North. The researcher also indicates that atmospheric systems could also be a contributing factor.
A microplastic is a plastic particle that the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the European Chemicals Agency define as less than 5mm in length.
Because the study of microplastics is an emerging field of study, NOAA says that the true impacts and potential environmental hazards of these small pieces of plastic are, as of now, unknown, but what is clear is that they represent a large threat to aquatic organisms. lifetime.
That means this latest study will be extremely disturbing news for environmental scientists.
Looking for microplastics
To arrive at their findings, the team collected samples of near-surface seawater from Tromso, Norway to the North Pole, a distance of about 12,000 miles. From the Canadian Arctic, they collected samples from a depth of up to 1,000 meters. They then used microscopy and infrared analysis to identify microplastics in the samples.
“We found microplastics in all but one sample, underscoring the widespread distribution of this emerging contaminant in this remote region.” Ross says.
The fact that the team found that microplastic contamination in the eastern Arctic was three times higher than the concentration of similar particles in the western region suggests that the Atlantic could be delivering these particles.
Currently, Oceanwise estimates that each year households in the United States and Canada collectively release up to 878 tons of microfibers. The problem is compounded by the fact that wastewater treatment plants do not trap plastic fibers. Therefore, installing technology to trap these fibers could help mitigate microplastic contamination.
Correcting this is not the only way to reduce this type of contamination. Ross indicates that the textile industry could do more to design sustainable clothing that sheds less plastic.
Plastics surround us. And while it would be extremely unfair to specifically single out textiles as the only source of microplastics in the world’s oceans, we do see a strong footprint of polyester fibers likely to be derived largely from clothing.
Peter Ross, Ocean Wise and the University of British Columbia
References
¹ Ross. PS, Chastain. S., Vassilenko. ME., et al, [2021], ‘The widespread distribution of polyester fibers in the Arctic Ocean is driven by inputs from the Atlantic’, Nature, [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20347-1]
² Market report of fibers and preferred materials, Textile exchange, [2019], [https://store.textileexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2019/11/Textile-Exchange_Preferred-Fiber-Material-Market-Report_2019.pdf]
³ Napper. Me, Thompson. R., [2016], ‘Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibers from household washing machines: effects of fabric type and washing conditions,’ Marine Pollution Bulletin, [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.09.025]
⁴’What are microplastics? ‘ NOAA, [https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html]
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