According to a recent study, it is proven that the amount of microfibers released while wearing the outfit is far more than what is released after a wash. The study was carried out by the scientists of the University of Plymouth and the Institute for Polymers, Composites, and Biomaterials of the National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR). The study was conducted on four different polyester clothing while they were worn and after the wash.
The results of the study
The four kinds of polyester clothing, including a 100% polyester green blouse, a 100% polyester dress, a 100% polyester blue T-shirt, and 50% of each cotton and pink polyester sweatshirts, were used for the study. All the articles of clothing were chosen of considerable size, for a reason unknown to all. One set of these items of clothing was washed at 40C, and the other collection of the same articles were worn by the scientist while performing normal day-to-day activities. All the microfibers from both these activities were collected.
Around 700 to 4,000 fibers per gram of fabric were released after a single wash. And more than 400 fibers per gram of the material were shed from each article of clothing in just 20 minutes of performing regular activities while wearing them. It was also noticed that the pink sweatshirt with 50% cotton and 50% polyester, releases the maximum amount of microfibers after both the experiments.
The final result of the findings of the scientists suggests that a person release around 300 million polyester microfibers each year by washing their clothing items. On the other hand, a single person can release more than 900 million polyester microfibers in the environment, just by wearing these outfits.
One of the researchers, Dr. Francesca De Falco of IPCB-CNR, suggested that the increase in the release of polyester microfibers is dangerous for both aquatic habitat and Earth’s environment. This pollution must be fought against right away to get things in control before everything goes out from one’s hand.
Is the release of microfibers harmful to the environment?
Releasing of the microfiber in the environment or ocean is like pollution. It has many adverse effects on the environment; thus, it must be treated at the early stage to control the release of the microfibers. According to scientists, the textiles with a compact structure of fibers like highly twisted yarns or woven with continuous filaments, release fewer microfibers than any other fabric.
According to scientists, the release of these fibers is quite the same for wearing clothes or washing them. In both conditions, the release of the polyester microfibers is doing its job of polluting the environment. The emission of these synthetic fibers in the ocean is choking marine life and is spreading rapidly to affect the entire food cycle. Thus, to protect yourself and the environment, the fashion industry must focus more on sustainable clothing. And the industry must react upon it as quickly as possible!
