Recently, scientists and environmentalists have wondered if microscopic plastic particles are released when we wash our clothes. There was not any visible proof until the professor from Plymouth, Richard Thompson, looked at the mass, quantity, and size of fibers that end up in the wastewater after a normal wash. Researchers discovered that on average, 700,000 microscopic fibers go down the drain, posing a threat to fragile ecosystems. These fibers are bad for the environment because they have the ability to absorb toxins and are easily ingested by animals. Microbead use has already been banned but banning synthetic textiles is seen as unrealistic. Researchers continue to investigate for ways to prevent these synthetic textiles of having such an effect on the environment.
After reading this article, I was shocked and could not come up with a solid solution to solve this problem. Doing laundry is unavoidable and I am one to always want clean clothes. I think it is also scary that scientists have just discovered how detrimental this is to the environment because it makes me wander what else could potentially be detrimental. I want to know what the regulations will end up being for synthetic textiles because clearly this is an issue.
http://gizmodo.com/your-laundry-is-worse-for-the-environment-than-you-thin-1787138036
After reading this article, I was shocked and could not come up with a solid solution to solve this problem. Doing laundry is unavoidable and I am one to always want clean clothes. I think it is also scary that scientists have just discovered how detrimental this is to the environment because it makes me wander what else could potentially be detrimental. I want to know what the regulations will end up being for synthetic textiles because clearly this is an issue.
http://gizmodo.com/your-laundry-is-worse-for-the-environment-than-you-thin-1787138036