Introduction
Synthetic fibre polyester has become a linchpin in the textile industry. Its popularity is due to its low cost, toughness and versatility and it’s the go-to fabric for thousands of different kinds of clothes from everyday to high-performance sportswear. But beneath the ease and popularity of this solution there is an environmental problem more difficult to ignore, the role that polyester plays in releasing microplastics. But as the fashion industry grows, so too does the pollution of polyester-based textile mass production, with catastrophic ecological impacts.
It’s called “microplastics” and they’re plastic grains smaller than 5mm in diameter, and they’re ruining our world. Polyester, which is a petroleum-based synthetic fibre, is a primary culprit, as billions of microfibers are dumped into the environment each year. These microplastics have migrated into rivers, oceans, and even our breath, and they are toxic to marine life, wildlife, and people. In this article, we will discuss the complicated relationship between polyester and microplastics, environmental impacts of polyester-driven microplastic pollution, and what is possible to do to curb this environmental issue.
1. The Relationship Between Polyester and Microplastics.
- What Are Microplastics?
Microplastics are little pieces of plastic less than 5mm in diameter that have disintegrated from other plastic products. These are particles that you can barely see, and of various sizes, shapes and types. Microplastics are produced by design or by the decomposition of larger plastic. These microplastics particles are of more and more concern because they persist and are so widespread that they are almost unreachable after they have become part of ecosystems.
Types of Microplastics:
Major Microplastics: Small plastic particles, produced deliberately. They are in cosmetics (exfoliating beads), cleaning products and in some industrial processes. Main microplastics are also baked into textiles such as polyester.
Secondary Microplastics: These are made when bigger plastic components degrade to smaller pieces. This could be plastics in the ocean, the landfill or elsewhere. There are also secondary microplastics that come from the shedding of fibres when you wash and wear synthetic clothes, particularly polyester.
Primary microplastics and secondary microplastics are equally hazardous, but secondary microplastics like polyester fibres are the ones most polluting the environment as a result of the enormous amount of synthetic textiles being produced in the world today.
- How Polyester Produces Microplastics
Polyester is one plastic which is at the centre of the spread of microplastics. Polyester is a petroleum-derived product, so it has many positive qualities (strong, elastic, moisture and stain-resistant, in contrast to fibers made from natural resources like cotton or wool). But the very properties that plague polyester make it eco-unfriendly.
Polyester Is Synthetic : Polyester is synthetic fibre composed of petrochemicals such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) that is also used in plastic bottles. Polyester being plastic, its fibers are made of a rigid non-biodegradable material that will not breakdown in nature. Polyester is so synthetic that it will lose fibres in its lifespan, especially when we wash and wear it.
Shedding at the Washing Point: The most common and prominent source of polyester pollution due to microplastic contamination is microfiber shedding at the washing point. The fibres that get blown off by the washing machine in polyester clothes, like many synthetics, are thousands of microscopic fibers (called “fiber shedding”). These fibers, too small to be captured by ordinary washing machine filters, end up in wastewater flowing into the water supply. These polyester fibres then end up in rivers, lakes and oceans where they stay for years because they’re non-biodegradable.
Moreover, microfibres are shed in almost every load of synthetic clothes, and polyester clothes are among the worst culprits. It’s been found that a typical polyester jacket will lose more than 1,900 microfibers per wash, and the amount of polyester apparel on the planet is unfathomable.
Impact – cumulative: Microfiber shedding is cumulative in nature. As reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), synthetic fibres like polyester cause 35% of all microplastics in the ocean. Since we wash polyester clothes everywhere and there aren’t even enough wastewater treatment plants in place to capture those micro-particles, billions of microfibers enter the watershed year after year.
Other than shed microfibers from washing, polyester clothes shed microfibers over the lifetime of their garments as they are worn, dried and handled. These fibres — be they used clothing or garments that are outgrown — end up as air and water pollutants.
2. The Environmental Repercussions of Polyester Microplastics
- Oceanic Pollution
Polyester microfibers – as with other microplastics – also often end up in the ocean, forming part of one of the world’s worst environmental disasters. There are already so many threats to the ocean, from overfishing to chemical runoff, and microplastics are a further, in-built problem.
).Chilling in Oceans: Once microplastics are discharged into waterways from washing machines, septic tanks and textile mills, they pass through rivers, lakes and estuaries to the sea. When they’re in the ocean, these microplastics drift on the surface or sink to the bottom where they linger for centuries. Because they are flimsy and bouncy, the fibres of polyester are particularly prone to settle on the sea floor where they can drift for miles and pollute the world.
Effect on Ocean Life: Everything from small plankton to large whales are now inhaling microplastics. They look very much like plankton or other plants, so animals eat them out of hand. The consumption causes many dangerous symptoms, such as digestive malfunctions, injury and even death. All of the toxins that microplastics transport, such as pesticides, heavy metals and other toxicants, can escape to the organisms who ingest them and cause chronic illness.
Microplastics have also been detected in marine animals’ tissues, offering the chance for bioaccumulation and biomagnification. This is to say that microplastics and the toxins they emit are concentrated as they move up the food chain to humans who eat seafood, increasing the threat to human health.
- Soil and Freshwater Contamination
Ocean pollution is perhaps the microplastics’ most public problem, but polyester microfibers are causing havoc in soils and freshwater bodies as well.
Microplastics in the Earth: Microplastics from synthetic textiles such as polyester may be introduced into the earth by wastewater treatment, directly discharged from textile mills, and irrigation. When they’re in the soil, microplastics can transform the soil structure and health through its physical characteristics (water retention, nutrient delivery). Such elision of soil environments can result in low productivity and fertility, which in turn might affect food production.
Effects on Soil Health: Polyester microplastics may affect soil health by changing microbial activity and diminishing plant nutrient absorption. This can also be further impacted by the contamination of the water table by the microplastics that settle in the soil. As microplastics migrate into food crops, it is also becoming a problem for humans as the potential to transfer toxic compounds from the soil to our food supply is raised.
- Impact on Air Quality
Water and soil pollution have been the main topic, but another major environmental issue is the fate of the air from polyester microfibers.
Breathing Microfibers: Polyester microfibers too will get airborne when your garments are used, dried or treated. When we wash, dry and even wear polyester clothing, microfibers go into the air, and humans and animals breathe in them. Since polyester fibres are normally much smaller than what can be detected with the naked eye, these aerosol microplastics can easily reach the respiratory system and contaminate the air, indoors and outdoors.
Rimes for Inhalation: Occupational hazards from breathing in polyester microfibers. Studies are only beginning, but airborne microplastics have been linked to respiratory disease in humans and animals. The pulmonary irritation, asthma, and other chronic respiratory conditions could be caused by breathing these fibers. The risks of overexposure are increasing with the accumulation of microplastics in the air.
3. Human Ingestion and Inhalation
Microplastics are very small plastic atoms, smaller than 5mm in diameter, and are everywhere. These are particulates that come from the decomposition of larger plastics, artificial fabrics such as polyester, and plastic bottles. As microplastics multiply in our habitats, humans are being contaminated by them more often, both by ingestion and inhalation.
Sources of Exposure:
1. Contaminated Water and Food:
For humans, microplastics can enter us in the form of polluted water and food – the main way they reach us. Microplastics are everywhere in the ocean, river, lake and even the tap water. Microplastics, it turns out, can be found in tap water all over the world, both from surface water contamination and from the treatment process. We can swallow microplastics if we drink water or eat food that has been grown in soiled soil.
Fish, shellfish and plankton in the sea ingest microplastics, and they get eaten by the food web. Even humans who eat seafood might unknowingly swallow microplastics. And there are microplastics in table salt, bottled water, honey, even the air we take in. They can accumulate microplastics in the human body if swallowed, but it’s too early to know for sure.
2. Inhalation of Airborne Microplastics:
Humans are also breathing in microplastics apart from inhaling them, but most of the microplastics are produced during the wash and use of synthetic fabrics such as polyester. Such microfibers could catch on the outside when clothes are worn, washed or dried. The microplastics in the air are also dangerous because the small particles can get deep into the lungs.
Microplastics also tend to make air pollution worse in cities as particles get blown up from synthetic fabrics, manufacturing processes and plastic decomposition. Employees in factories where artificial materials are produced can also be more vulnerable to microplastic exposure. The study is early but it’s suggested that microplastics inhaled from the air can settle in the lungs and create a respiratory condition.
- Potential Health Risks
Microplastics pose a threat to human health: they are dangerous, carry poisonous chemicals, can come into contact with human tissues and lead to chronic diseases. Much is still to be known, but scientists are coming to appreciate the enormity of the issue.
Toxicity of Microplastics:
Microplastics are not inert: they are reservoirs of various toxic pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), heavy metals and pesticides. They are often either used to add these chemicals to plastics production or extracted from the air. POPs like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) leak out of microplastics and are harmful to the environment and human health. Nor are heavy metals such as lead and mercury, which can form in microplastics, that are already known to be toxic to humans.
Consumed microplastics could be carried into the human body, where they could disturb other biological systems. These chemicals are toxic on the microplastics, as well as on the particles. Researchers worry that microplastics could be associated with cancer, neurological disease and developmental delays in children.
Impact on Human Health:
Respiratory Issues from Inhalation:
It is especially concerning to inhale microplastics, particularly in synthetic fabrics such as polyester that scatter fibers into the air during wear and wash. Microplastic particles inhale can get trapped in the lungs, causing irritation, inflammation and even long-term lung problems. From the first reports, inhaled microplastics can be responsible for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory disorders. We’re starting to fear that chronic airborne microplastics could irreversibly deteriorate the respiratory system, as do other forms of air pollution.
Possible Gastrointestinal and Immune System Disorders:
As microplastics enter your body in contaminated water or food, they can travel down your GI tract. Even if microplastics are expelled through excretion by the body, some will stay in the gut. All of this leaves us sceptical of the risk of GI problems, like inflammation, ulcers or other digestive upsets, and also the potential impact on gut microbiota. The microplastics might also act on the immune system because particles might trigger an immune response that causes chronic inflammation or other disease.
Emerging Concerns About Long-Term Exposure:
There is almost no one to speak of the health effects of exposure to microplastic in the long run. Yet now new research is indicating that long-term exposure to microplastics may be associated with multiple illnesses, including endocrine dysfunction, including a disruption of hormone balance and reproductive health. Some researchers even worried that microplastics might be linked to obesity, heart disease and even brain disorders. As microplastics have been detected in the liver, kidneys and brain, researchers are worried about cumulative exposure as plastic waste piles up around the world.
There isn’t really enough research out there about the health effects of microplastics on humans, so it’s more important than ever that we do something about it. Since microplastics are so ubiquitous both in the natural world and in consumer products, future research should seek to understand just how far they could be detrimental to human health.
4.Polyester Microplastic Pollution Remediation Solutions
As more people realise the hazards of polyester microplastics, scientists, governments and consumers are searching for ways to mitigate the harms of this pollution. The problem is difficult to solve, and it’s complex, but a few things stand out as key solutions for reducing polyester microplastic pollution in consumers, industry and policy.
- Consumer-Level Solutions
Proper Washing Practices:
The consumer level is where microfiber pollution can be minimized by washing. There is huge pollution from the washing of synthetic textiles such as polyester. Voici les habits recommandées for minimizing microfibers in laundry:
Washing bags or filters to catch the microfibers: There are a number of companies that now make washing bags and filters that can be placed in your washing machine to catch the microfibers. They keep microplastics from flowing into the wastewater flow, and in time, rivers and oceans.
Wet clothes less often and with lower temperatures: When we wash clothes less frequently or by hand, the amount of fibres lost will be minimized. It can also wash more gently (cold water) so that polyester garments are less prone to wear and tear and microfibers will not be released.
Wear synthetics with care: They too can cut their microfiber pollution by opting for synthetics with lower shedding properties or by purchasing clothing from renewable fibres like organic cotton, hemp or wool.
Responsible Disposal:
Rather than throwing polyester clothes in the landfill, customers can give or reuse clothes to make them last longer. And recycling programmes – especially those that focus on polyester – can keep these textiles from ending up in landfills where they would break down and be released into the air. Swaps and resale programmes are other ways to keep the total use of new polyester clothing as low as possible and limit the effects on the environment.
- Innovations in Textile Manufacturing
Development of Low-Shed Polyester:
Scientists are working on polyesters that lose fewer microfibers in the wash. Changes in textile engineering – such as a change to the weaving or knitting process – might produce polyester fibres that are less susceptible to shedage. Such low-shed fabrics would not only prevent microfiber pollution, but make polyester clothing last longer.
Blending with Natural Fibers:
The next best thing is to use polyester in combination with biodegradable natural fibres such as cotton, hemp or wool. Such hybrids won’t leave microplastics behind when washing, and the natural fibers tend to break down with use, which helps to make it easier on the environment. When polyester is mixed with alternative fabrics, it’s possible to have a textile that is durable but also environmentally friendly.
- Wastewater Treatment Solutions
Upgraded Filtration Systems:
Improved filtration at wastewater treatment plants is the best way to eliminate microplastics in the environment. When wastewater plants convert treatment plants to incorporate filters that trap microplastics, these microbes are not allowed into rivers, lakes and oceans. Those kinds of high-tech filters are just getting built, but they are a crucial element of the solution to polyester microplastic pollution.
Microplastic Capture Devices:
Other than wastewater treatment plants, there is increasing demand for microplastics absorption at the consumer level. Microfiber-filtering washing machine filters are a leader here. You can place these filters in the washing machine at home to capture microplastics before they go into the waste water.
- Policy and Regulation
Government Intervention:
Microplastics can’t go unchecked by governments. In line with that, the possibility of law requiring microfiber filters in washing machines would go a long way towards minimising microfiber contamination. Some countries have already started to do this and others might start by banning certain synthetic fabrics or encouraging eco-friendly ones.
Industry Standards:
With government and other environmental agencies, fashion can set global standards for microfiber reduction. Such guidelines would spur producers to be sustainable, to create greener textiles and to invest in technologies that reduce the release of microplastics as clothes are made and washed.
5. Sustainable Tomorrow.
- Role of Consumers
Polyester microplastic pollution can be addressed through consumers’ own action. With the right kind of purchase, with brands that care about sustainability, and using environmentally sound methods, consumers can be the force that makes more desirable alternatives. Furthermore, by investing in durable quality clothes and by lowering overall polyester use, we will stop microplastic contamination in its tracks.
- Fashion Industry: Function Of Fashion Industry
It’s up to the fashion industry to be sustainable and responsible for the effects polyester has on the environment. With research and development of environmentally friendly textiles, funding programmes to eliminate microfiber pollution, and adopting openness in emissions reporting, fashion labels can contribute to the polyester microplastic crisis.
- Position of Governments and NGO’s
Public awareness, research funding and policies to combat polyester microplastic pollution are the work of governments and NGOs. We need public awareness campaigns, strict regulation and international cooperation to fix this growing environmental crisis and ensure our ecosystems’ and human health futures.
Yashvi Jain, a writer by day and reader by night, is an accomplished content writer and published author of ‘Mind Under Construction. Yashvi possesses extensive knowledge of fabrics, sustainability, and literature. On occasions, you would catch her scripting for her YouTube channel, engrossed in fiction, or ardently dedicating her time to research and storytelling.