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> At last modern fabrics don't require ironing anymore. Would those "modern fabrics" be the ones using synthetic fibres that contribute thousands of plastic mi

by jfk13 8y ago

> At last modern fabrics don't require ironing anymore. Would those "modern fabrics" be the ones using synthetic fibres that contribute thousands of plastic microparticles to the water each time they go through the wash?

DanBC 8y ago
I guess GP is talking about "poly cotton blends" rather than pure polyester or acrylic. But yes, poly-cotton blends do release microplastics. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/27/washing-clothes-releases-water-polluting-fibres-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/27/washing-clot... > They found that acrylic was the worst offender, releasing nearly 730,000 tiny synthetic particles per wash, five times more than polyester-cotton blend fabric, and nearly 1.5 times as many as polyester. People have no idea how many fibres are released per kg of clothing. It can be a surprising amount. https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publ-kompl/1003-10%20Report%20Microplastics%20from%20industrial%20laundries.pdf https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publ-kompl/1003-10... > From the results from the measurements, calculations were made to estimate the number of released microplastic particles. The release varied significantly between the different laundries. If the calculations were based on an assumed best-case scenario, between 5 000 and 4 550 000 of microplastic particles were released per kg of washed textile. If a worst-case scenario was assumed, between 15 000 and 5 375 000 microplastic particles were released per kg of washed textile.
- telchar 8y ago
  This is very noticeable if you watch someone wash a fuzzy blanket bought from Walmart. It seems like half the blanket goes down the drain after the first wash.
- Swizec 8y ago
  I was talking about polycotton blends which seem to represent 99% of clothes you buy these days unless you're actively avoiding it. I did not know they released microplastics.

by jfk13 8y ago

DanBC 8y ago

I guess GP is talking about "poly cotton blends" rather than pure polyester or acrylic. But yes, poly-cotton blends do release microplastics. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/27/washing-clothes-releases-water-polluting-fibres-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/27/washing-clot... > They found that acrylic was the worst offender, releasing nearly 730,000 tiny synthetic particles per wash, five times more than polyester-cotton blend fabric, and nearly 1.5 times as many as polyester. People have no idea how many fibres are released per kg of clothing. It can be a surprising amount. https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publ-kompl/1003-10%20Report%20Microplastics%20from%20industrial%20laundries.pdf https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publ-kompl/1003-10... > From the results from the measurements, calculations were made to estimate the number of released microplastic particles. The release varied significantly between the different laundries. If the calculations were based on an assumed best-case scenario, between 5 000 and 4 550 000 of microplastic particles were released per kg of washed textile. If a worst-case scenario was assumed, between 15 000 and 5 375 000 microplastic particles were released per kg of washed textile.

telchar 8y ago
This is very noticeable if you watch someone wash a fuzzy blanket bought from Walmart. It seems like half the blanket goes down the drain after the first wash.
Swizec 8y ago
I was talking about polycotton blends which seem to represent 99% of clothes you buy these days unless you're actively avoiding it. I did not know they released microplastics.