And what can I do now?
A big factor of microplastic production is
clothing. As a customer I can consciously make sure when buying my clothes that they do not contain synthetic materials such as nylon or polyester. This is not easy, because after all, about 60% of our clothes contain polyester. And unlike from natural fabrics such as cotton, plastic fibers and particles dissolve from them, which then end up in the wastewater.
When washing synthetic fabrics, I can take care not to wash them hotter than 40° Celsius, because temperatures above 60° Celsius promote the dissolution of microplastics. Fabric softener also supports microplastics to be released. As an alternative to fabric softener, I can turn to the natural products vinegar and citric acid.
As a consumer, I can also make sure in cosmetics that products such as scrubs or makeup do not contain ingredients such as polyethylene or polyquaternium.
A well-known tip is to separate waste. Rightly so, because properly separated garbage can be disposed of properly and recycled better. Even worse than garbage that is not separated is plastic waste in the environment - the big no-go that unfortunately still happens. If plastics get into nature, they decompose very slowly, releasing microplastics and other harmful added substances like plasticizers.
According to the
World Health Organizationo WHO, there are currently not enough scientific results available to make an informed statement about the potentially harmful effects of microplastics. So everyone must assess this for themselves. In the end, the question is: How much am I at risk?