How cosy f leeces are poisoning the ocean
COSY and comfy, it is the unofficial uniform of birdwatchers, hillwalkers and other nature-lovers.
But your fleece may be doing untold damage to the environment.
British research has shown they are a major source of marine pollution, with hundreds of tiny polyester fibres released when they are washed.
Too small to be removed by washing machine filters or by sewage treatment plants, most of the tiny threads end up in the sea. There, they are mistaken for food
‘Inside an animal, fibres travel up food chain’
by fish, putting them at risk of suffocation and starvation. The synthetic fibres, which at under 0.5mm long are known as microplastics, also act as magnets for toxic chemicals, threatening marine life with poisoning.
Human health could also be in danger, if fibres are eaten by seafood destined for the dinner table.
The risk posed by microplastics is subject to a parliamentary enquiry. So far, much of the focus has been on toiletries. Tiny plastic beads, or ‘microbeads’, are used to make face washes, shower gels and toothpastes more abrasive and they also escape into seas and rivers.
They are deemed so dangerous they are banned in the US, a move being considered by the UK government. But now it seems fleeces may also poison the oceans.
Exeter University researchers found tiny pieces of synthetic fibre on 18 beaches worldwide, including Sennen Cove, Cornwall. Polyester, found in fleeces, was the most common material, followed by acrylic.
Polyester is also used in suits and T-shirts but further tests suggest fleeces are particularly damaging.
When the experts laundered fleeces, blankets and shirts, they found fleeces shed the most fibres, with up to 1,900 released per wash.
In another study, researchers analysed seawater samples from the Solent, separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland. They found four types of microplastic, with fibres predominating.
Writing in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, the Southampton Solent University team said: ‘Microplastics were found in all of the four estuaries. The fibres were expected to be mainly polyester and most likely from clothes.’ Study author Professor Anthony Gallagher added: ‘One of the most likely sources is wastewater treatment plants. Fibres [are] small enough to fit through the filtering systems of washing machines.’
Dr Matt Cole, a microplastics expert from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, told The Sunday Times: ‘Once inside an animal, they can travel up the food chain, so crabs eating a mussel will take in that plastic – and so will humans.’