Our clothes generate microplastics that pollute the St. Lawrence River and other bodies of water

Summary

New research documents an abundance of microplastics in the St. Lawrence River and its estuary, implicating textile washing as a primary source of fiber-shaped plastic particles in this major waterway. The findings are significant because the river serves 45 million people and supports rich biodiversity, meaning widespread microplastic contamination poses risks to both human drinking water quality and aquatic ecosystems at scale.