Clothes Are Plastic. Your Skin Pays the Price

(substack.com)

5 points | by aftermath101 1 hour ago

4 comments

  • user568439 9 minutes ago
    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.

  • Ghexor 53 minutes ago
    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/

  • jerlam 1 hour ago
    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.
  • OutOfHere 1 hour ago
    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.

    • zeech 51 minutes ago
      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.
      • OutOfHere 3 minutes ago
        A problem with microplastics is that they come bundled with numerous xenoestrogens and other harmful contaminants. This too is what makes them very harmful, especially when conceiving a child.

        Also, without evidence, no claim can be made that nanoplastics don't absorb from the skin -- it's an open question.