Clothes Are Plastic. Your Skin Pays the Price(substack.com)
substack.com
Clothes Are Plastic. Your Skin Pays the Price
https://substack.com/home/post/p-186265233
9 comments
Is there actually evidence that these absorb from the skin? I am not eating them.
Granted, if one uses an indoor clothes dryer, some could disperse into the air which one can then breathe in.
I understand that our culture has done a major disservice to cotton.
Granted, if one uses an indoor clothes dryer, some could disperse into the air which one can then breathe in.
I understand that our culture has done a major disservice to cotton.
Even if you do eat them, there's no evidence (or I suppose I should say no evidence yet) of microplastics being harmful when ingested. Nanoplastics, on the other hand, have been found to impact animal embryos and cells grown in labs.
From the abstract of [0]:
Microplastics and nanoplastics [..] particles can penetrate the skin, especially if the skin barrier is compromised. [they] may cause oxidative stress, trigger inflammation, and induce senescence. This article calls for research on the topic and advocates for plastic-free or bio-degradable alternatives.
[0]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41207769/
[0]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41207769/
Which part of that statement is untrue if you substitute "natural fiber" for "Microplastics and nanoplastics"?
Literally anything can penetrate the skin if the skin barrier is compromised. That's just sophistry: "If you shove things into a cut, they will be inside your skin!"
Literally anything can penetrate the skin if the skin barrier is compromised. That's just sophistry: "If you shove things into a cut, they will be inside your skin!"
Even if what this article claims is false, I'm 100% in favor of buying organic fabrics like wool and cotton. I'm doing it as much as I can and it's not that difficult except for shoes and some water proof layer. There are also solutions for that but I admit they are a bit less convenient for certain uses like hiking
The microplastics are getting everywhere and I don't want to know what happens if the amount keeps increasing... But I guess we will know.
The microplastics are getting everywhere and I don't want to know what happens if the amount keeps increasing... But I guess we will know.
This is fearmongering. Your skin does not absorb everything it touches, otherwise I would be drunk from using 70% ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer. And the claim that microplastics, physical particles, go right into your skin also seems questionable.
Really, the salient issue here are the treatments and dyes involved in the production of cheap modern fabrics, and polyester itself, and OEKO-TEX is concerned with those.
Of course, polyester microplastics are environmentally harmful, but that's a different argument altogether.