Laundry poses threat to shoreline
Tiny pieces of
plastic from the laundry process are ending up in the sea and could make
their way into the food chain, according to new research. Called
microplastic, the pieces are being eaten by animals, scientists found.
Tiny pieces of plastic from the laundry process are
ending up in the sea and could make their way into the food chain,
according to new research. Called microplastic, the pieces are being
eaten by animals, scientists found.
The pieces have been traced back to synthetic clothing, the washing of which can release almost 2,000 minute fibers during each machine cycle.
Mark Browne, an ecologist from the University of California, Santa Barbara, told the BBC that previous research “showed that when we looked at all the bits of plastic in the environment, about 80 percent was made up from smaller bits of plastic.”
He warned that the particles, once eaten, were going from the stomachs of the animals into their circulation system, ending up in the animals’ cells.
Tests were carried out on beaches from as far afield as Great Britain, India and Singapore, reported the BBC. None of the 18 beaches yielded a sample that was free of the microplastics. Concentrations were highest in the samples taken from near big cities.
Tests were also conducted to compare the fibers with those found in waste water from washing machines.
“It suggests to us that a large proportion of the fibers we were finding in the environment, in the strongest evidence yet, was derived from the sewerage as a consequence from washing clothes,” said Dr Browne.
The research was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
The pieces have been traced back to synthetic clothing, the washing of which can release almost 2,000 minute fibers during each machine cycle.
Mark Browne, an ecologist from the University of California, Santa Barbara, told the BBC that previous research “showed that when we looked at all the bits of plastic in the environment, about 80 percent was made up from smaller bits of plastic.”
He warned that the particles, once eaten, were going from the stomachs of the animals into their circulation system, ending up in the animals’ cells.
Tests were carried out on beaches from as far afield as Great Britain, India and Singapore, reported the BBC. None of the 18 beaches yielded a sample that was free of the microplastics. Concentrations were highest in the samples taken from near big cities.
Tests were also conducted to compare the fibers with those found in waste water from washing machines.
“It suggests to us that a large proportion of the fibers we were finding in the environment, in the strongest evidence yet, was derived from the sewerage as a consequence from washing clothes,” said Dr Browne.
The research was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
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