It is well known that washing clothes can release a large number of microfibers into wastewater, but it is unclear whether drying of clothes would have any impact on the environment. A pilot study by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) reports that a single clothes dryer can discharge up to 120 million microfibers annually—1.4 to 40 times of that from washing machines. To control the release of these harmful airborne microfibers, the team suggested that additional filtration systems should be installed for dryer vents as soon as possible.

Dr. Zhang Kai, former Research Associate of the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) in CityU and Professor Leung Mei-yee, Director of SKLMP and Chair Professor at Department of Chemistry in CityU co-led the research team. The work was published in the academic journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, under the title of "Microfibers released into the air from a household tumble dryer."

Microfiber air pollution deserves attention

Microplastics are a growing threat to aquatic organisms and their ecosystems. Apart from marine and freshwater environments, microfibers have been found in air and terrestrial ecosystems. Exposure to airborne microplastics has been linked to adverse effects on human health, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

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