16-25 The Price of Fashion: Synthetic Fiber Contamination in Soil

Session: From Thin Section to Outcrop: Exploration of Undergraduate Research (Posters)

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Abstract:

In the 20th century, synthetic fibers entered the textile market and irreparably changed the mix of consumer clothing. When synthetic garments are laundered, significant numbers of synthetic fibers can be released. While much is trapped in the lint trap of the dryer, an unknown amount is released into the atmosphere from the dryer. The purpose of this study is to identify and begin to quantify contamination by synthetic microplastic fiber in soil, identify their source, and explore the transport mechanisms. Two experiments were performed. In one, under laboratory conditions, a clear column was constructed and filled with silica sands introducing UV-reactant glitter at the surface, simulating microplastic fiber contamination. Water was passed through the column over a period of one year to allow vertical transport of the plastics. The column was then deconstructed and sampled. In the second experiment, soil samples were collected in the vicinity of an apartment laundry facility on the campus of West Chester University to measure concentrations of synthetic microfibers compared to the distance from the dryer vent. Although this research is ongoing, some indication has been made toward preliminary observations, which suggest that soil samples gathered closer to a dryer vent contain significantly greater concentrations of microfibers compared to samples gathered at greater distances. Further investigations are being conducted to quantify the average number of polyester fibers introduced into the atmosphere per dryer cycle.

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