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Workers exposure to synthetic textiles microfibers
Summary
Researchers reviewed studies on workplace exposure to synthetic textile microfibers, which are an important subset of microplastic pollution. They found that textile industry workers face inhalation risks from airborne microfibers, though the full health effects are not yet fully understood. The study highlights a gap in occupational health research and calls for more investigation into the long-term effects of breathing in synthetic fibers at work.
The textile industry is one of the most polluting sectors, its contribution to the growing contamination with microfibers being of recent interest. Microfibers are an important part of microplastics, a real problem in our society. Textiles are dominated by synthetic fibres, generating microfibres as environmental contaminants. Exposure may also occur in the workplace, but fewer studies address this topic. Although synthetic microfibres toxicity is not fully understood, is accepted that their dimensions can influence health effects. This study analysed the length and diameter of 201 airborne polyester fibres sampled in the working environment of a textile factory. Phase contrast microscopic analysis was performed using NIOSH method 7400. Three size categories were considered for the length: small (≤ 10 μm), medium (10 - 100 μm) and large (≥ 100 μm). Four diameter categories: thin (≤ 1 μm), medium (≤ 2 μm) and thick (≤ 3 μm) were defined. Diameters over 3 microns were considered elongated microplastics. Results show that most of the fibres (93%) were less than 100 μ long (20.1% being less than 10 μ) and the fibres with 1μ diameter were predominant (42.8%) Such fibres may reach into the bronchial tree and even further, where they may cause health problems.