The Detriment of Microplastics
Plastic pollution is not a new phenomenon. However, microplastics filtering into our food, water systems and even reaching the summit of Mount Everest is quite concerning. Evie takes a closer look at the problem and a huge culprit: OUr clothing.
Illustration by Paige Blake.
“A mother is holding her new-born young. It’s dead. She is reluctant to let it go and has been carrying it around for many days.” narrates Sir David Attenborough, describing the emotional footage of a mother pilot whale carrying her dead calf.
The now infamous footage, shown as part of the BBC’s Blue Planet series, speculated that the calf may have been poisoned by the mother’s contaminated milk. Attenborough describes how microplastics combining with other pollutants and bioaccumulating up the food chain can lead to high levels of toxins in larger animals, such as the pilot whale featured in this episode.
Though this conclusion was speculative, there is a growing amount of research showing the hidden dangers that microplastics may have on not only wildlife, but also humans.
There is also a growing amount of research showing that microplastics have found their way to the farthest reaches of the globe, including the North Pole, Mount Everest and the bottom of the ocean. This has led some scientists to define a new historical epoch: The Plasticene.
Microplastics, measuring less than 5mm, can be made up of many different polymers including nylon, a key component of many synthetic fabrics. Primary microplastics, such as cosmetic microbeads and nurdles (commercial pellets) are probably what most people think of when they hear the word ‘microplastics’. However, secondary microplastics, for example fibres from clothing or fishing equipment, are made when larger pieces of plastic break down as a result of weathering.
Microplastics contain and absorb toxic chemicals such as Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and Bisphenol A (BPA). Many of these chemicals have endocrine disrupting capabilities, meaning they impact reproductive function and can lead to hermaphrodism, infertility and potentially extinction.
It can be difficult to know whether a chemical has been in a plastic since manufacturing or if it has been absorbed. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including pesticides like DDT, are vectored by microplastics, increasing their toxicity. POPs have the potential to bioaccumulate, as can some of the chemicals involved in plastic manufacture, like PCBs. This means that minute amounts of microplastic related toxins consumed by planktonic organisms could amplify up the food chain into larger organisms, such as fish. Empirical evidence of trophic transfer of microplastics and their associated contaminants in larger organisms in the wild is limited. However, a study on captive seals found that 48% of examined seal scat contained microplastics, demonstrating that trophic transfer of microplastics from fish to top predators is possible. Eating seafood may, therefore, lead to us consuming microplastics.
In fact, we may be eating as much as one heaped dinnerplate of microplastics each year. Microplastics and associated toxins, like BPA, have even been found in human placentas and breast milk. BPA has been associated with obesity, insulin resistance and cancer.
As stated by Attenborough, these toxins could have serious impacts not only on our own health, but the health of wild animals.
But where is the plastic coming from and what can we do to stop it?
Over the last decade, plastic pollution has become a major conversation in the mainstream media, and policy changes such as bans on plastic straws and the removal of microbeads from cosmetic products are providing hope. However, the elephant in the room when it comes to discussions around microplastic pollution is right in front of us, or rather all over us. Our clothes.
A study published earlier this year found that fibres made up 92.3% of microplastic particles across the Arctic, with 73.3% of those being polyester. These synthetic fibres resemble those used in clothes and textiles.
Our desire for fast fashion and cheaply made clothing is notoriously bad for the environment and for garment workers. However, research now shows that every time we wash our clothes, we are contributing to microplastic pollution. The release of microplastics from fabric results from the mechanical and chemical stresses undergone during the washing process. These fibres may be so small that they are unable to be filtered out at wastewater treatment plants, meaning they are released into rivers and ultimately the sea. These fibres are then ingested by shellfish, which end up on our plates.
Increasing public concern over plastic pollution is paving the way for new technologies such as the Ocean Cleanup and plastic-eating bacteria. Though these technologies are not without faults - Ocean Cleanup, for example, has caused concern due to its potential impacts on plankton and its lack of solutions for biofouling - they are only the beginning. With sustainability now at the forefront of many people’s minds, technological solutions to plastic pollution will hopefully soon be as commonplace as plastic itself.
In the meantime, we can focus our efforts on the source of microplastic pollution. The UK’s ban on cosmetic microbeads is an enormous success in microplastic policy and with more countries putting similar bans in place, the amount of primary microplastics being expelled into the environment will be greatly reduced.
One good thing about microplastics from clothing, is that we as individuals have the power to stop them.
Washing synthetic textiles is the leading contributor to marine microplastic pollution. Tackling this source of microplastics is therefore a great place to start. You can now buy washing machine filters designed to catch microplastic fibres from your clothes and prevent them reaching rivers and the sea. These filters may be up to 78% effective at catching microplastics. Using colder and quicker wash cycles can also help reduce the amount of microfibres shed from our clothes. However, our clothes can still shed microplastics just from wearing them.
Choosing second-hand and non-synthetic clothing is another important change we can all make to reduce the amount of microplastic pollution we are responsible for. Next time you consider purchasing clothes from a fast fashion brand, ask yourself: is saving a few pounds really worth the environmental damage the clothing will cause? Chances are that the answer is no.
In this new Plasticene era, our actions as individuals have the power to make a real difference in the fight against microplastics.
By changing our consumer habits, washing our clothes differently and keeping the conversation going, we can save not only our own species, but others, like the whales we met on Blue Planet.
Evie White
Evie Is a Biological Sciences BSc graduate from the University of Exeter, and a self-proclaimed member of the Chris Packham fan club. She is passionate about ecology and conservation and believe that biology and sustainability go hand in hand. Evie is particularly interested in the value of citizen science and individual action as a way to make positive environmental change. In her spare time, she loves scuba diving, cooking and painting.
You can find her on Instagram @eview_.