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According to experts and previous studies, the vast majority of microfibres are released through the washing of synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon. Reports estimate household and industrial laundries emit around 2.2 million tons of microfibres each year 鈥� comprising .

Meanwhile, the growing popularity of fast fashion and its love of cheap synthetic fabrics is only exacerbating the problem, experts tell the Star. Here鈥檚 a closer look at how plastic is all around 鈥� and inside 鈥� us.

What are microfibres?

Broadly, microfibres are any fibres measuring less than five millimetres in length. Experts like Matthew Ross, an associate professor of physical chemistry at Edmonton鈥檚 MacEwan University, however, are mostly concerned about their synthetic variety.

On top of containing potentially toxic additives, 鈥渟ynthetic fibres don’t tend to break down in the environment at all,鈥� Ross told the Star. This allows the plastics to build up not just in the ecosystem, but also inside our bodies as we breathe, drink and eat.

When they eventually start breaking down, microfibres can become even more dangerous, said Roxana Suehring, an assistant professor of analytical environmental chemistry at 海角社区官网Metropolitan University. Smaller fibres are better at slipping between our body鈥檚 membranes, potentially leading to plastics sliding between our cells and invading our bloodstreams and vital organs.

Studies show these fibres are commonly made of . Other 鈥渟emi-synthetic鈥� microfibres like rayon might come from natural sources, Ross added, but are made to behave like plastics through a refining process.

Unfortunately, the pollutants are hard to avoid as we鈥檙e constantly surrounded by microfibre producers 鈥� but there are options.

Where do microfibres come from?

The vast majority of microfibres are released by our synthetic clothes and fabrics tumbling in the wash, according to Suehring, Ross and backed up by . They say the grinding motion of the washing machine, combined with a ride in the dryer, serves to knock countless strands loose.

Unfortunately, unless you鈥檙e buying clothes made of pure cotton, wool or other natural fibres, the majority of our outfits contain at least a mix of synthetic ingredients, Suehring explained. Even seemingly all-natural fabrics may be modified.

鈥淔or example, jeans fibres are often very chemically modified to make the jeans more stable,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd so, this so-called modified cotton is actually one of the fibres we find very commonly in the environment, including all the way in the Canadian Arctic.鈥�

When imagining microfibres, you might also think of microfibre cloths 鈥� the reusable cleaning supplies often marketed as 鈥渆nvironmentally friendly.鈥� As the name implies, these cloths are made of microfibres packed tightly together to compose one fabric, Suehring explained, and can release the particles during use or when being cleaned.

Ross added that lesser microfibre emitters are all around us, as synthetic fibres make up our 鈥渦pholstery, like couches, chairs and carpet,鈥� as well as our face-masks, cigarette filters and more. 鈥淏ut I think, by and large, the biggest sources would be from clothing,鈥� he said.

Unfortunately, fibres are far better at spreading through the air than other forms of microplastics, Suehring said, enabling them to travel vast distances 鈥� and into our lungs.

Are microfibres dangerous for my health?

At the moment, we know little about the health impacts of microfibres and microplastics in general. But while no studies have been published on their long-term health impacts, research has shown .

Disconcertingly, recent research has discovered microplastics and synthetic fibres deep inside the lungs, , , and other organs of living humans. Without long-term studies, however, experts can only speculate as to the impacts of this.

鈥淚f you think back on asbestos, which are also microfibres, they can obviously do quite a bit of damage,鈥� Suehring said. 鈥淭his is one of our worries with microfibres, is that it’ll cause similar inflammatory processes when it gets into the lungs.鈥�

This inflammation may then lead to cancer, she continued. The asbestos theory has been proposed and is currently being researched, Suehring said; we鈥檙e still waiting on results.

Meanwhile, research has shown microfibres and plastics to 鈥渃ause toxic effects on a variety of different organisms all the way from subcellular affects, all the way up to disrupting entire communities,鈥� Ross added.

Additionally, fibre-shaped microplastics may prove more dangerous than other shapes, with .

鈥淚 think there’s still a lot of question marks about what happens when we get exposed to microplastics, which is concerning to me,鈥� Ross said.

How can I avoid microfibres?

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is install filters over the outlets of your washing machine and dryer, which release large amounts of microfibres into wastewater and the atmosphere, respectively. If your machines came with filters, make sure they鈥檙e being cleaned and maintained regularly, Ross and Suehring said.

Otherwise, there are various microfibre catchers available for sale. These little balls go in with the laundry and help to catch stray fibres through the wash cycles, Suehring added.

The experts also recommend sticking with durable, natural fabrics for your clothing, which shed fewer microfibres and can be worn for longer. Stay away from synthetic-heavy clothes and the trends that make use of them, like fast fashion, Ross said.

These cheap, on-demand industries rely on the speed and affordability of synthetic fabrics to keep up with trends and a tremendous consumer appetite. Compared to growing cotton, it鈥檚 鈥渇rankly cheaper to make tons and tons of plastic,鈥� Suehring said.

While it鈥檚 not feasible to entirely avoid microfibres in your life, these methods can at least limit your exposure and personal emissions. As the market drives us toward further development of synthetic fibres however, it seems we鈥檙e stepping into an increasingly plastic-filled future.