Emission of fibres from textiles: A critical and systematic review of mechanisms of release during machine washing.

Research about health and environmental impacts of pollution caused by natural and plastic fibres is increasing, however, the role of textile characteristics in microfibre release during washing remains poorly understood. Given that machine washing is thought to be the main contributor to microfibre pollution, we systematically and critically reviewed previous publications looking at how textile features affect fibre emissions during washing. We examined the evidence related to findings from previous studies based on their research aims, ability to control variables that could confound results, use of procedural blanks and controls, and statistical methodologies.