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Commercial clothes dryers: a source of microfiber emissions to air
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Researchers quantified microfiber emissions from commercial clothes dryers and measured deposition patterns around laundromats, identifying commercial dryers as a significant and poorly studied source of airborne microplastic pollution.
Abstract Background . Microfibers from textiles are a major source of microplastic pollution, yet emissions from dryers are poorly studied. Objectives . This study quantifies microfiber emissions from commercial dryers and explores deposition around laundromats. Methods . We conducted atmospheric sampling using passive samplers at ten laundromats in San Francisco and quantified microfiber emissions from dryer vent lint at two locations. Results . Microfiber deposition rates were significantly higher downwind of dryer exhausts, and lint samples indicated emissions of 8–47 million microfibers per week per laundromat. City-wide emissions may reach 1.1 quadrillion microfibers annually. Conclusions . Commercial dryers are an overlooked source of airborne microfiber pollution. Mitigation strategies, including filtration, should target this source.
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Researchers found that vented tumble dryers release significant quantities of synthetic microfibers into the external environment, with fiber release influenced by fabric conditioning products and lint filter pore size, identifying household dryers as an underappreciated source of airborne microplastic pollution.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.