I was using a microfiber cloth to clean my windows the other day when I paused to wonder whether microfibre cloths were better or worse for the lake environment than cleaning the windows with paper towels...
Microplastics and microfibres made news headlines again when they were detected by scientists in human brain tissue. (They have also been found in palcentas and testicles!) Shockingly, it is estimated that we now consume 5 grams of microfibres and microplastics each week, which is roughly the size of a credit card’s worth.
What is Microfibre and Where are They Coming From?
Microfibres, by the textile industry’s definition, are any staple fiber or filament which measures between 0.3 to 1 denier. Denier, a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers, is the mass in grams per 9,000 meters of the fiber. To help visualize this, the denier is based on a natural reference: a single strand of silk is approximately one denier; a 9,000-meter strand of silk weighs about one gram. So basically, microfibres are any fiber, either natural or synthetic, that are finer than a strand of silk.
The microfibres that we are hearing about in the news originate from the textile industry and other fiber related industries that make items such as facemasks and cigarette butts. They enter the air, water and soil during the manufacturing process, as they are used and laundered, and if they are improperly disposed of.
First Sentier MUFG have estimated the release of microfibres into the environment through the lifecycle of textiles. Although the volume of loss from the textile manufacturing process is relatively unknown they have estimated the loss from textile maintenance and use:
“The number (and volume) of microfibres that are released with every load of laundry varies widely and depends in part on the contents of the wash. The estimates of the total number of microfibres produced per wash range from 700,000 to 1.5 million to 7 million5. In terms of volume, approximately 0.5-1.3 grams of microfibres are expected to be released in every wash and it is estimated that the average household in North America releases approximately 135g of microfibres via its laundry every year6. Estimates of global synthetic microfibre release from washing clothes range from 0.18 MMT (million metric tonnes) to 0.36 MMT to 0.50 MMT annually7. We further estimate that synthetic and natural microfibre release from laundry could be in the range of 0.12-1.07 MMT annually.
Factors that increase microfibre loss during washing include:
Use - Although most studies on microfibre shedding have focused on microfibre loss during washing, it has been suggested that textiles may shed as many microfibres when they are being worn as when they are being washed. For example, a study estimated that between 3-10 metric tonnes of microfibres would fall on an urban area the size of Paris every year via atmospheric deposition.”
Is this a problem?
Well, the short answer is yes. The surfaces of plastic microfibers have the ability to adsorb organic, inorganic, and mixed pollutants. Depending on the textile that they come from each microfibre could also contain some of the more than 100,000 chemical additives, such as natural and synthetic dyes, softening, ultraviolet protective, and antimicrobial and antiviral agents that are commonly added to our textiles. Microfibres bioaccumulate up the food chain and the ingestion, accumulation, and potentially toxic effects of microfibers in the ecosystem are still poorly understood. Although scientists have yet to determine the effects of these plastics on humans or other animals they do know that some of the petrochemicals used to manufacture plastics do cause cancer and mimic hormones. Knowing this, it is pretty alarming to know that they are now showing up in pretty much every part of our, and other animal’s bodies.
Are Microplastics and Microfibres in Lake Weslemkoon?
Yes, most likely. While we have not yet studied the levels of microfibres or microplastics in Lake Weslemkoon and Otter Lake I believe we can assume that they are present based on a recent study of the Experimental Lakes, and the fact that many of us wash clothing at the lake.
A recent study of 9 remote lakes near Kenora, Ontario by researchers from the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Experimental Lakes Area found microplastics in all of them. Microfibres from polyester, acrylic and cellulose were the most common plastics found. Since these lakes are quite remote the researchers concluded that the microfibres were previously airborne as microfibres easily travel through the air anywhere from 10 to 1000 km.
Many studies have been completed on microfibres and microplastics in the Great Lakes. A recent study by University of Toronto researchers found an average of 138 particles of microplastic per fish in Lake Ontario, both in the fish filets and in the guts. According to a paper by researchers from the University of Toronto and the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development, the main sources of microplastics in the Great Lakes are microfibres from textiles, pre-production plastic pellets from industry, tire and road wear particles from roadways, and foam from construction.
What should we, as waterfront property owners, do?
We basically have 2 options; choose clothing made only of natural materials such as cotton, wool, silk, linen or bamboo, whose microfibres will eventually naturally break down, or take precautions to limit the amount of plastic microfibers that are shed into the environment. In that we are not likely to give up wearing our soft, stretchy, strong and durable polyester, nylon, acrylic, viscose or polypropylene clothing any time soon we should take measures to reduce the quantity of plastic microfibers that are shed so that they do not end up in our water and air.
Use Filters when Washing Clothing
It has been determined that the majority of microfibres found in the Great lakes come from washing synthetic clothing in washing machines, where a single fleece can shed up to 81 000 plastic fibers per wash. One report stated that approximately 700,000 microfibers (about 0.5 g in weight) could be discharged with laundry sewage every cycle the washing machine drum rotates!
Studies, such as the one completed by Georgian Bay Forever in Parry Sound, show that Filtrol washing machine filters capture appx 88% of the microfibres released during washing. Adding one to your waterfront residence washing machine would be a great way to prevent microfibres from ending up in our lakes.
Ball filters, such as the Cora Ball are able to catch these fibers as well. In a study The Cora Ball was found to capture 31% of microfibres. Special wash bags such as The Guppyfriend Bag have been found to capture 54% of microfibres.
Experts also recommend washing your clothing less frequently, with less water, and with cold water to reduce fiber shedding.
Line Dry Your Clothing (and Make Sure your Dryer Has A Capture Filter)
A study found that between 35 and 70 mg of microfibers could be released by 100% polyester fleece blankets when dried by two different types of domestic dryer! Make sure that you have a lint capture filter on your dryer, or better yet line dry your clothing whenever possible to avoid the agitation and microfibre shedding that occurs in the dryer. Ensure that you dispose of anything caught in your filter in the garbage.
Avoid Other Sources of Microfibres
Thrift!
Purchasing secondhand clothing will help cut down the microfibre waste created during the manufacturing process AND save you money. Plus it’s fun and you never know what treasures you may find.
What about those Microfibre Cleaning Cloths?
I didn’t manage to find a research paper that explicitly studied the pros and cons or environmental effects of microfiber cleaning cloths, but judging by all the other information that I did find about the alarming quantity of plastic microfibers ending up in our environment I will avoid using them from now on and will stick to cellulose sponge cloths.
Microfibres are definitely a concerning topic, especially because there are so many unknowns in terms of their effects on animal (including human) and ecosystem health. Until we hear from the researchers that there are no negative effects to the accumulation of microfibres in our bodies and environment we should all do our part to reduce the amount of microfibres that we can be personally responsible for.
Sources - Dive deeper:
https://thenarwhal.ca/great-lakes-emerging-contaminants/
https://www.georgianbayforever.org/divertandcapture
https://environmentaldefence.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Anna-Wood-and-Emily-Hunt.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9734713/ Microfibre Pollution in the Earth System
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/reduce-laundry-microfiber-pollution