Synthetic fibers and plastics are major sources of pollution, polluting both the environment and human beings.
According to a recent study, fibers from fleece jackets, sweaters, and jeans are particularly hazardous.
They also tend to shed bacteria when touched, so many humans are carrying them on their skin when they come in contact with the fabric.
The researchers were also able to demonstrate that bacteria can get into the air and even move between surfaces, resulting in “aerosolized” contamination in the space around people and air conditioning units.
The concern is that these bacteria can cause eye, nose, throat, and other infections and cause asthma attacks.
Surprisingly, the researchers found that in the environmental impact study, the outdoor test was also the dirtiest for the bacteria.
“In terms of large numbers of bacteria, the airway (outside the building) is far dirtier than the indoor area, which indicates that it is due to the bacteria being aerosolized into the outdoor air,” said Brian Poeschla, the study’s lead author and a Ph.D. student at the Australian National University in Canberra.
He explained that this is because people breathe into their hands, so they may get the bacteria from the indoor area and then into their environment.
“We had to change the estimate of indoor air based on the results of the outdoor (inside) contamination,” Poeschla said.
“The results of this paper support what many have long suspected: indoor air is not as clean as people believe.”
Other research has shown that although bacterial contamination indoors is higher, the bacteria is generally killed by air fresheners, bleach, or antiseptic wipes, so people can usually avoid prolonged exposure.
Bacterial contamination is a major issue in hospitals, where patients can be infected by simply walking in.
According to the World Health Organisation, 6.5 percent of infections in hospitals involve airborne bacteria.
This means that nearly 1.3 million hospital-acquired infections occur every year. This is an alarming rate and this itself should scare people and make them aware of how dangerous synthetic fibers and plastics can be. These are slowly killing our planet and one day this place will not be enough for survival. so try avoiding synthetic fibres and plastics and try to live a healthier and sustainable lifestyle.
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references are taken from research reports on: https://scholar.google.com/
