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The fate of flushed contact lenses
Summary
This news piece summarizes research finding that many of the estimated 45 million contact lens wearers in the United States flush worn lenses down drains, where they degrade into microplastic pollutants. The study from Arizona State University traces contact lens materials through wastewater treatment and into environmental systems.
As many as 45 million people in the US wear contact lenses, but what happens to those disposable silicone hydrogel hemispheres once their daily, biweekly, or monthly wear life is over? A new study suggests that many contact lenses get flushed down the drain and become microplastic pollutants ( 2020, DOI: ). Arizona State University’s Rolf U. Halden, Charles Rolsky, and Varun P. Kelkar simulated what would happen to contact lenses in a wastewater treatment facility. They determined that lenses don’t break down chemically but instead break into smaller fragments. The ASU team then examined sewage sludge and indeed found such lens fragments. To get a sense of how often contact lenses are flushed away, the team surveyed contact lens users on their disposal habits. They found that roughly 20% of users put their lenses down the drain. This practice, the researchers estimate, could result in 44,000 kg of lens