If you wear much synthetic clothing, you likely create microfiber pollution every time you do the laundry. A type of microplastics, microfibers are plastic fibers smaller than 5 millimeters. When we wash synthetic fabrics, they shed these microfibers, which get washed down the drain with the wastewater, adding to the worldwide problem of microplastic pollution.
The Microplastic Problem
Plastic pollution is all around us, from the highest mountain to the depths of the world’s oceans. While plastic litter is a well-known problem, more people are becoming concerned about microplastic exposure. The universal use of plastics means that microplastics are widespread throughout the environment. Scientists have found them in our food, water, and even the air.
Researchers are still trying to determine the scale of this issue, but these tiny particles really add up. Australian scientists…