Microfibers: Fast Fashion’s Long-Term Impact
How Cheap Textiles are Compromising the Health of Our Planet
By now, we are all aware of the impending doom that is human-induced climate change, but did you know that washing your clothes might be your worst environmental transgression? Doing one load of laundry can release 700,000 microscopic-sized pieces of plastic, sending them down the drain to pollute our municipal water supplies and our oceans (Tobin 11). These are usually polyester, nylon, and acrylic, and their use has exploded over the last 20 years. Following a trend known as fast fashion, some clothing companies went from designing and manufacturing one collection per season to one per week (Stanton 7). With an additional 48 deadlines for new merchandise, it is no surprise that retailers turned towards cheap, lightweight microfibers to meet demand. Microfiber pollution is greatly exacerbated by the fast fashion industry and it will impact the lives of doctors, consumers, and the success of such clothing companies in the future.
Microfibers and Their Origins
Microfibers are roughly 1/100th the diameter of a strand of hair, and they make up 35% of microplastic waste in the oceans (Henry et al. 1). These fibers are chemically and physically fragmented through means such as photodegradation and abrasion during each stage of the life cycle of clothing: production, use, and disposal. However, microfibers are resistant to biodegradation, so organisms cannot break them down completely. Because microfibers persist in the environment, pollution only worsens as these plastics continue to be easily manufactured while nearly impossible to remove.
The Significance of Microfiber Pollution
Microfiber pollution in water affects all places and all living things on the planet. Most microfibers get into aquatic environments via textile laundering wastewater. This release of synthetic fibers into the oceans contributes to 85% of total plastic waste across shorelines globally (Ocean Portal Team 18). The physical characteristics of microfibers then allow them to make their way into other, less suspected environments. Airborne microfibers are a secondary effect of oceanic microplastic pollution. Microfibers can evaporate off of the ocean surface with water molecules, thus suspending them in our air. Worse still, these microplastics are light enough to travel upwards and mix with condensate. Their ability to rain down upon the surface of the Earth is the defining factor that expands their range of pollution from solely wastewater runoff recipients to the entire planet. Sometimes, water treatment facilities apply effluent directly on the soil as fertilizer. This action, too, transmits microfibers from water to land and means these textile-based microplastics could become part of our food during the early stages of plant growth.
Through biomagnification, the concentration of microfibers inside an organism increases as one moves up the food chain. Eventually, these ingested microplastics make it to our dinner tables.
Effects of Microfiber Pollution
The small, twisted, and synthetic structure of microfibers allows them to entangle themselves in the guts of organisms after consumption, leading to gastrointestinal blockage. A video posted on Twitter by Dr. Richard Kirby shows how an arrow worm died after trying to eat a microfiber with a diameter of eight micrometers. Additionally, consumers experience a false sense of satiety after consuming microplastics. Eating plastic instead of food resulted in stunted growth in crab populations due to nutrient deficiencies (Messinger 17).
Studies show that Americans are already ingesting fibrous microplastics from municipal drinking water supplies. While there is limited research on the long-term effects of microfiber consumption on humans, scientists expect that they cause hormone-related cancers, infertility, and neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and autism as chemicals from plastic leach into the body (Plastic Soup Foundation 3).
Stakeholders
Microfiber pollution will impact doctors, fast fashion companies, and everyone you know. It might seem dramatic, but microfibers can and will infiltrate each corner of our planet. They’re in our air, in our water, and our soil. The first visible issues will be lower on the food chain; but, doctors should be aware of microfiber pollution’s effects on people as ingested microplastics leach poison into our bodies over time. Patients expect their providers to heal their ailments, and doctor’s reputations are dictated by patient satisfaction. It is more likely that society will be able to treat those harmfully afflicted by microfiber pollution than prevent it from occurring, so medical professionals must increase their education about the biological risks of ingesting microplastics and how to combat them.
Fast fashion companies could come under fire when the whole of society connects their rapid production of cheap textiles to plastic poisoning. Miriam Diamond from the University of Toronto hypothesizes that “Cheaper fabrics will more easily shed fibers” because “…the fibers aren’t as long or they aren’t spun as well” (Messinger 30). Fast fashion brands might have to change their business model to keep their customer base happy, which would result in higher prices as they shift to producing clothes with better quality materials. The average consumer represents the third and largest stakeholder group because we will all be affected by microfiber pollution. Even if you do not get sick yourself, you could pay more for seafood, need to upgrade your air filter, or have to drink specially treated water if microfiber pollution continues to increase exponentially. So, what are people doing to mitigate this imminent problem?
Fighting Microfiber Pollution
Currently, there is not a widely adopted mandate to combat the production of microscopic, synthetic fibers. In truth, some recycling practices aimed at reducing plastic waste serve only to worsen the problem. Cutting up big plastic pieces to make tiny threads that can slip through the filters used by water treatment plants in the name of recycled clothing is not exactly a step in the right direction. Tersus Solutions built a waterless washing machine that cleans clothes using pressurized carbon dioxide, but it is not widely available (Messinger 37). “How Your Clothes Are Poisoning Our Oceans and Food Supply” by Leah Messinger is a great example of what is happening right now to mitigate microfiber pollution. In her article, she motivates readers to take matters such as retrofitting their washing machines with microfiber-catching filters into their own hands since industry leaders believe that it is too great a task for themselves to handle. As an individual, you can choose to purchase textiles made from natural fibers, use a nanoball in your washing machine to catch microplastics, write to utility manufacturers urging them to retrofit their machinery, and wash your clothes less.
But Who Am I to Tell You What to Do?
While it is true that doctors and big brands might see me as a kid with access to the internet, I am also part of the generation that understands the gravity of environmental issues and will live long enough to experience their effects firsthand. The choices made regarding hot topics like climate change (and now microfiber pollution) will affect all aspects of my life for the foreseeable future.
I am a patient and a potential customer. To effectively manage my needs or attract my business, health care providers and fast fashion companies should adapt to mitigate both the immediate and future effects of microfiber pollution. As for the general population, they should trust me because I am part of it. Looking out for others concerning the negative environmental and societal effects of microfiber pollution directly aligns with my instinctive desire to fight for survival.
I want to live to see the future, do you?
Works Cited:
Henry, Beverley, et al. “Microfibres from Apparel and Home Textiles: Prospects for Including Microplastics in Environmental Sustainability Assessment.” Science of The Total Environment, Elsevier, 12 Oct. 2018, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896971834049X?via%3Dihub.
Kirby, Dr Richard. “Once Again I’ve Witnessed the Tragedy of Plankton Eating Microplastics. This Is the Bottom of the Food Chain. We Have No Idea What the Long-Term Effects Are for the Marine Environment or Ultimately, Human Health @zeiss_micro Pic.twitter.com/xt1usSuFcH.” Twitter, Twitter, 5 Feb. 2020, Tweet.
Kirby, Richard. “The Shocking Extent of Our Microplastic Pollution in the Sea. An Arrow Worm in My Plankton Sample Has Died after Trying to Eat a Blue, Plastic Microfibre That Is Just 8µm in Diameter (0.008mm). @zeiss_micro Pic.twitter.com/8fLTlyF5rv.” Twitter, Twitter, 15 Jan. 2019, twitter.com/planktonpundit/status/1085243100430299141?lang=en.
Messinger, Leah. “How Your Clothes Are Poisoning Our Oceans and Food Supply.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 June 2016, www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/20/microfibers-plastic-pollution-oceans-patagonia-synthetic-clothes-microbeads
Mishra, Sunanda, et al. “Marine Microfiber Pollution: A Review on Present Status and Future Challenges.” Marine Pollution Bulletin, Pergamon, 25 Jan. 2019, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X19300451.
Ocean Portal Team. “Marine Plastics.” Edited by Jenna Jambeck, Smithsonian Ocean, Smithsonian Museum, 19 Feb. 2020, ocean.si.edu/conservation/pollution/marine-plastics#:~:text=Microplastics%20make%20up%20as%20much,on%20shorelines%20around%20the%20world.&text=Additionally%2C%20some%20microplastics%20in%20the%20ocean%20are%20from%20microfibers.
“Plastic and Human Health: A Lifecycle Approach to Plastic Pollution.” Center for International Environmental Law, Center for International Environmental Law, 2015, www.ciel.org/project-update/plastic-and-human-health-a-lifecycle-approach-to-plastic-pollution/#:~:text=Microplastics%20entering%20the%20human%20body,outcomes%20including%20cancer%2C%20cardiovascular%20diseases%2C.
Plastic Soup Foundation. “How Plastic Affects & Threatens Human Health.” Plastic Health Coalition, Plastic Soup Foundation, 13 Jan. 2021, www.plastichealthcoalition.org/.
Sachs, Jonah, et al. The Story of Microfibers. YouTube, The Story of Stuff Project, 1 Mar. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqkekY5t7KY&t=161s.
Tobin, Catie. “How Plastic Pollution Is Being Woven into Fast Fashion Culture.” New Security Beat, Environmental Change and Security Program Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 30 July 2020, www.newsecuritybeat.org/2020/07/plastic-pollution-woven-fast-fashion-culture-2/.
