New research has shown that doing laundry can negatively impact our oceans due to microfiber pollution.
The Ocean Wise Plastics Lab, in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, carried out the research.
The study showed that microfibers, which are fibers less than 5mm or roughly quarter of an inch can pose a serious risk to marine life as they make their way into our ecosystem and are ingested by zooplankton. The study estimates that every year, US and Canadian households deposit the weight of 10 blue whales in microfibers from washed laundry into our ocean.
Commenting on the research, Dr. Oladimeji Ayo Iwalaye, a postdoctoral researcher at Ocean Wise and UBC, stated:
“We are finding that zooplankton are eating microfibers instead of their food, hence missing out on energy and nutrition. This can have ripple effects on the marine food web, as zooplankton are a key food source for many species. Zooplankton could serve as concentrators of microfibers in the ocean for their predators.”
You can read the study here.
