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The Arctic invaded by synthetic fibers, the fault of the laundry

2021-01-13T17:46:42.030Z


The Arctic is invaded by synthetic fibers, which make up 92% of the microplastics found in surface waters and which 73% are made of the polyester used in synthetic fabrics and released through the laundry (ANSA)


The Arctic is invaded by

synthetic fibers

, which make up

92% of the microplastics

found in surface waters and which

73%

are made of the

polyester

used in synthetic fabrics and

released through the laundry

.

The discovery, published in the journal Nature Communications, is due to the Canadian

Ocean Wise Conservation Association group

coordinated by Peter Ross.



The data, the authors of the research note, indicates that synthetic fabrics, through laundry and wastewater discharge, can play an important role in the contamination of the oceans.

"Laundry - the study reads - is proving to be a potentially important channel for the release of microfibers into the water. We recently estimated that a

single item of clothing can release millions of fibers

during a typical domestic wash".



To get an estimate of the extent of microplastic pollution in the Arctic, the researchers analyzed 2016 water samples collected near the surface (3 to 8 meters deep) at 71 stations in the European and North American Arctic (including areas near the surface). North Pole).

The presence, on average, of about

40 microplastic particles per cubic meter of water

was thus calculated

.


Microscope image of synthetic fibers and microplastics found in Arctic waters (source: Ocean Wise)



Synthetic fibers, and especially polyester, make up the majority (92%) of the microplastics found in the samples.

In addition, most of the particles (nearly three times more) were found in the eastern Arctic than in the western Arctic, suggesting that new polyester fibers are being carried into the eastern Arctic Ocean by currents from the Atlantic.

 In general, all microplastics are a source of concern, having reached the farthest reaches of the world, from the Himalayas to the depths of the ocean.

Microplastics had already been identified in the Arctic, on pack ice, in seawater and in sediments of the seabed.

However, doubts remained about their distribution, sources and extent of contamination.

Source: ansa

All tech articles on 2021-01-13

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