Microfibers: The Silent Killer of Aquatic Ecosystems
Thin hair-like strands and barely visible to the eye, they fill waters, endanger aquatic species, and enter our food supplies. These materials have eluded our society for years, as they kill off ecosystems one by one. Still at large today, the real culprits are microfibers.
What Are They?
Microfibers are minuscule strands of microplastic less than 5 mm in length (thinner than human hair) found in the majority of synthetic materials. Most commonly found in polyester, microfibers are often used to help with quick-drying. Clothing is the leading user of microplastics that end up in oceans, accounting for 35% of the global plastic waste found in oceans in 2017.
When clothing is thrown into washing machines, microfibers fall off. Due to their small size, they are able to bypass treatment plants that would usually collect discarded pieces. Eventually, microplastics enter the oceans. Up to 12 million fibers can be found in just one load of laundry. Due to this, microfibers are one of the largest causes of plastic pollution, accounting for 34.8% of global microplastic pollution.
Why Are They Harmful?
Many microplastics are consumed by aquatic animals accidentally, due to their small size. This leads to microplastics entering ecosystems and accumulating over time. For example, plankton may mistake microfibers for food and ingest them. Anything from small fish to the great blue whale rely on plankton as a food source, so microfibers will pass to them. When these animals digest the microfibers, it can severely affect their behavior. Reports have shown that this can cause reduced energy levels, changes in cells’ oxygen levels, and even lead to gut blockage. All of these scenarios can severely affect not only an individual animal’s health but an ecosystem’s ability to function and sustain itself.
According to One Green Planet, “Ingested and inhaled fibers carry toxic materials and a third of the food we eat is contaminated with this material.” Other studies have found microfibers in the mussels and fish that humans would consume.
In addition, microfibers are known for absorbing large concentrations of chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in water and sewage sludges. Microfibers added to materials during the production stage can contain other chemicals, such as plasticizers (used to improve the flexibility of materials) that are dangerous to the environment.
What Can We Do?
From encouraging brands to reduce their microfiber usage to improving laundry machine filtration, the key to tackling the problem of microfiber pollution is teamwork. With multiple industries working towards reducing their microfiber usage, this issue can cease to exist in aquatic ecosystems.
Aside from this, introducing stricter government policies will ensure fewer microfibers end up in our oceans. Luckily, some steps are already being taken. For instance, in February 2020, the French Secretary of State for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Brune Poirson passed legislation, mandating all new washing machines in France have a filter to help collect microfibers. From here, we hope other countries will follow France’s example and take similar actions.
