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老司机直播 researchers examine the effect of microfibres in Toronto鈥檚 wastewater: CityNews

A photo of someone putting clothes into a washing machine
(Photo by Witthaya Prasongsin / EyeEm via Getty Images)

University of Toronto researchers are looking into the effects of the billions of environmentally harmful microfibres that end up in Toronto鈥檚 wastewater system, CityNews reports.

The tiny synthetic particles end up in the wastewater after being shed from fabrics laundered in washing machines. Lisa Erdle, a PhD candidate in the lab of Assistant Professor Chelsea Rochman in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology, told CityNews microfibers 鈥渃an have physical or chemical impacts on wildlife when they enter the food web.鈥

The researchers estimated that up to 36 trillion microfibres go into the wastewater system every year. While wastewater treatment plants remove up to 99 per cent of the microfibres, the researchers say that still leaves billions of them in the environment. 

The effect on humans is unknown. 鈥淭he research is just beginning in looking into human health,鈥 Eridle said.

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