A pair of jeans can release 56,000 microfibers per wash
by Mark Frauenfelder from on (#57YEC)
Denim is a popular clothing fabric. Half the world is wearing blue jeans or denim right now (well, at least they were before the pandemic). A new study published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters presents the unfortunate finding that a single pair of blue jeans "can release 56000 4100 microfibers per wash."
Microfibers from jean laundering were consistent in chemical composition and morphology with those found in the environment. We conclude that blue jeans, the world's single most popular garment, are an indicator of the widespread burden of anthropogenic pollution by adding significantly to the environmental accumulation of microfibers from temperate to Arctic regions.