{"id":2370,"date":"2021-03-29T15:09:59","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T13:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planetcare.org\/?p=2370"},"modified":"2021-10-17T19:37:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-17T17:37:09","slug":"microfibers-health-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planetcare.org\/de\/microfibers-health-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Clothes May Be After You: How Microfibers Affect Human Health"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Let\u2019s first take a closer look at the main culprit: microfibers are tiny plastic strands that come off of our synthetic clothes when we wash them. They travel through wastewater pipes and mostly end up in the soil, rivers, oceans, providing our descendants with almost eternal remnants to dig out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Microfiber journey from the washing machine to possibly our plate. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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You'll find them everywhere<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, microfibers have been found in the Mariana trench, both poles, the Himalayas - and everywhere in between. And even if you don\u2019t search for them, microfibers will find you: they are already in our food<\/a>, tap water, beer<\/a>, veggies<\/a> and salt<\/a>. If you want to learn more about microfiber pollution at this point, check our blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some of the places where researchers found microfiber pollution.
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Microfibers vs microplastics<\/strong>: what is the difference<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Microfibers are a type of microplastics, but they also have unique properties that some believe <\/a>cause more harm than your usual microbead - these are little bits of plastics, often used in facial scrubs and soaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What gives microfibers a super-polluter badge is their shape (it may increase the likeliness of blockages in the digestive tracts) and the cocktail of chemicals attached to the fibre. Some of these chemicals pose a health risk - we talk more about those below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Microfiber diet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Microfibers are sneaky and persistent. They will find all kinds of ways into our bodies, whether it\u2019s through food, air or even skin. According to a 2020 review<\/a>, microplastics smaller than twenty micrometres could then already infiltrate organs. Those smaller than ten micrometres (length of a bacteria) may enter the placenta, liver, muscles, and brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concern that we are exposed to microfibers through what we eat is real. They are regularly found inside fish and shellfish that are sold on the markets. Researchers from Iran, for example, found<\/a> them in the tissues of fish caught in the Persian Gulf.  Researchers say that eating lots of these fish \u201cmay pose a health threat\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another microfiber entry point is through the air. When you shake out a blanket or a carpet, you also send hundreds of tiny fibres into the air. One-third of all household dust is plastics (mostly consisting of microfibers) that eventually descends - possibly on a plate of tasty mussels that you\u2019re having for dinner. In fact \u2013 there are potentially a hundred times more microfibres that fall on a meal of mussels from the air than there are microfibers in the mussels themselves, according to research, published in Environmental Pollution<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Microfibers are often found in marine life. Here is a picture of a freshwater flea with an ingested microfibers from polyester clothing. The fleas which were exposed to microfibers for 48 hours in the laboratory showed a higher mortality rate.
Source: Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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One credit card, please<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How many consumed microfibers are we talking about, anyway? One recent study<\/a> calculated that people consume about five grams of plastics each week - roughly an equivalent of a credit card. The reason why our bodies haven\u2019t become a living Lego store by this point is the human excretory system. By some estimates<\/a>, up to 90 percent of microplastics that go in also go out via poop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, the research into the ingested and inhaled microfibers is not yet conclusive. Experts say the exact numbers here are crucial \u2013 a low exposure to microfibers is perhaps not a reason for concern, a higher one could pose certain health risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Microfiber health risks: what do we know so far<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A picture is still emerging of what all this pollution amounts to how it affects human health. But the first results don\u2019t exactly paint a rosy picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For starters, inhaled polyester and nylon microfibers may stunt the ability of the lungs to repair themselves. In a recently published Dutch research<\/a>, scientists have isolated lung cells, put them in a Petri dish where these cells have grown into \u201cmini-lungs\u201d - a tissue that replicates much of the complexity of the lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we found was disturbing,\u201d says doctor Barbro Melgert from the University of Groningen who was working on the research.  \u201cMini-lungs reacted strongly to nylon fibres \u2013 they have stopped forming. This can have big implications - if you breathe in a lot of these fibres and the lungs don\u2019t have the capacity to repair themselves, the fibres may damage your lungs,\u201d she explained in a Plastic Soup Foundation\u2019s video on YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inhalation of microfiber could also lead<\/a> to respiratory problems, inflammation, asthma, bronchitis and autoimmune diseases. These and other health issues are unfortunately nothing new for millions of textile workers<\/a>, especially those working with nylon and polyester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Immune cells responding strongly to inhaled fibres which can start an inflammatory response. Source: Plastic Health Channel and research of dr. Melgerth and her team.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Chemical cocktail <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main culprit here is not necessarily a microfiber itself, but rather its power to absorb and leech harmful chemicals, experts say. Doctor Melgert and her team of researchers suggest the same. She especially highlights BPA or bisphenol A \u2013 an industrial chemical, found in polycarbonate plastics.  Exposure to BPA is a concern<\/a> as it may affect the brain and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children. Some research also suggests a possible link between BPA and increased blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is much more where BPA comes from. Microfibers are often soaked in a cocktail of hazardous chemicals that are added during their production. These chemicals are used to give fibres colour, resistance against mould and prolong their life. They are also associated with a wide range of health risks: from impaired brain development to learning disabilities and increased incidents of cancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the chemicals, regularly used in microfiber production:<\/p>\n\n\n\n