Textile Fibres in Mediterranean Surface Waters: Abundance and Composition

Abstract

Textile microfibres are emerging pollutants with widespread distribution in natural environments [1, 2]. They are mostly discharged into wastewater from domestic washings [3] and arrive into the environment through wastewater effluents, aerial dry or wet deposition, or through the application of contaminated sludge on agricultural soils [4]. Microfibres are commonly included by microplastic pollution studies, often accounting for 80–90% of particle counts [5], even though their synthetic nature is seldom demonstrated. Substantial concentrations have been detected in marine and freshwater ecosystems around the world [6, 7]. Ingestion of fibres by marine organisms is being increasingly reported by studies worldwide [8] and adverse health effects have been demonstrated in terrestrial, marine and freshwater invertebrates [9]. In addition, a wide variety of chemicals are used during textile production including dyes, additives and flame retardants, with this raising concerns about their role as vectors of hazardous substances into the environment.