Yep. Recent research has found that of the billions and billions of microscopic plastic particles polluting our beaches and oceans, a large percent of them are the fibrous forms of polyester, acrylic and nylon that come off your dirty laundry. Almost impossible to remove after they spill into the seas, these potentially harmful fibers have worked their way into the water supply, the food chain, and your sushi – making synthetic clothing even grosser than you thought.
Currently, there is no way to prevent these particles from moving from sinks and washing machines into the oceans, so reducing overall production of man-made fabric is the only available measure against this looming problem. So, yes, buy less synthetic clothing (which you should be doing anyways for various environmental and sartorial reasons) and clean offending garments with regular touch-ups instead of full washes, and you'll be helping to keep potentially cancer-causing trace pollutants out of tuna fish sandwiches everywhere. (BBC)
Photo: iStock.