A blue rectangular piece of microplastic is visible on a researcher's finger on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 in Tacoma, Wash. New research suggests North Americans eat, drink and inhale tens of thousands of tiny plastic particles every year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Ted S. WarrenTORONTO -- Scientists in the U.K. are using London Fashion Week to highlight a lesser-known source of marine pollution -- microplastics found in the fibres of clothing.
The fashion industry contributes about 20 per cent of wastewater and 10 per cent of carbon emissions globally,“Well, it can be quite surprising to know that a majority of the clothes that we wear and that we buy are made out of plastic,” said researcher Imogen Napper at the University of Plymouth to CTV News.that estimated U.S. and Canadian households released more than 870 tonnes of plastic microfibres into the ocean annually from laundry alone --- the equivalent weight of ten blue whales.
“We found that for a typical clothes wash, up to 700,000 fibres could come off our clothes,” said Napper.
This does not include the non biodegradable chemicals in soap and detergents, especially the fragrances. And those plastic detergent pods. Your shampoos, conditioners. A curse of an affluent society few understand or care.
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