microfibre pollution

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the release of microscopic plastic fibres — typically from synthetic clothing such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic garments — into aquatic environments through washing, where they pass through wastewater treatment systems and enter rivers, lakes, and oceans in enormous quantities; a single wash of a synthetic garment can release hundreds of thousands of microfibres, and it is estimated that between half a million and one and a half million tonnes of microfibres enter the ocean annually from textile washing globally; microfibres have been found in the deepest ocean trenches, in Arctic sea ice, in fish and shellfish, in drinking water, in rainwater, and in human blood and lung tissue; they act as vectors for pollutants and disrupt marine ecosystems; addressing microfibre pollution requires a combination of washing bag filters, washing machine filters, garment design changes, and policy standards