Comment on “A planet too rich in fiber”

Abstract

EMBO Reports (2019) e47514 In EMBO reports 19: e46701, Melissa Suran argues that “Human waste is polluting the Earth: smog, raw sewage, chemical waste, clothes. You read correctly—clothes. Tiny plastic threads, known as microfibres, are coming off fleece pullovers and ending up all over the globe”, and that “Microfibre pollution may have major consequences on the environment and human health” [1]. We generally agree with the author's opinions: Microplastic pollution from textiles has been a concern for researchers and environmental protection organizations. As concerned citizens and researchers in the textile science and engineering, we would like to add a different perspective. In textile engineering, microfibers are formally defined as synthetic threads smaller than one denier, which is …