REPORT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The words ?plastic pollution? evoke images of discarded plastic bottles and bags, derelict fishing gear, and crushed cigarette butts set on a beautiful beach or floating underwater. In this imagery, the ebb and flow of plastic pollution is visible to the naked eye. But the plastic we can see is only part of the problem. What we do not see so easily are the microscopic, hair-like plastic fibres that are coursing through the water and air, accumulating on beaches, in intertidal zones, and even in Arctic sea ice. These are synthetic microfibres: thin pieces of plastic, a sub-category of microplastics, that resemble a strand of hair.

Some research estimates that only about 60% of the total mass of plastic entering the oceans is easily visible because much of it readily breaks down into small microplastics and sinks to the seafloor. This invisible underwater invasion of microfibres originates mainly from clothing made from synthetic (read: plastic) fabrics like polyester, rayon, and nylon, and threatens the health of sea life that consumes them.

Read more at :How plastic pollution is being woven into fast fashion culture