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The Problem

Microplastic fiber under microscope

The problem

Plastic is in your body.

In 2022, researchers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam detected microplastic particles in human blood for the first time. The plastics found included PET — the same polymer used to make polyester fabric. Since then, microplastics have been identified in lung tissue, the placenta, breast milk, and the colon.

One of the primary sources of human microplastic exposure is synthetic textiles. Your clothing, your bedding, and your towels — if they contain polyester, nylon, or acrylic — are shedding plastic fibers every time you use them and every time you wash them.

When you step out of the shower and press a polyester towel to your skin — still warm, pores still open — you're pressing synthetic plastic fibers directly against your body's largest organ. This exposure is daily, and it's cumulative.

80%
of human blood samples tested contained microplastic particles
Leslie et al., 2022
700,000
synthetic fibers released per wash from a single polyester textile
Napper & Thompson, 2016
6×
more fibers released by polyester than cotton per wash cycle
De Falco et al., 2019

Where they've been found

Microplastics in the human body.

  • BloodPET, polystyrene, and polyethylene detected in 80% of participants. Particles small enough to cross cell membranes.Leslie et al., Environment International, 2022
  • LungsMicroplastic fibers found deep in living human lung tissue for the first time — including polyester and polypropylene.Jenner et al., Science of the Total Environment, 2022
  • PlacentaMicroplastics detected on both the fetal and maternal sides of the human placenta.Ragusa et al., Environment International, 2021
  • Breast milkMicroplastics found in 26 of 34 breast milk samples tested. All common polymer types represented.Ragusa et al., Polymers, 2022
  • Colon tissueHigher concentrations of microplastics found in colorectal cancer tissue compared to healthy tissue samples.Cetin et al., 2023

The connection

Why your towel matters.

Synthetic textiles are the single largest source of microplastic fiber pollution. Every polyester garment — including towels — sheds plastic fibers through use and laundering.

Skin exposure is not passive. Your skin is permeable, especially when warm and damp — exactly the conditions after a shower. Microplastic fibers can also become airborne during towel use, contributing to inhalation exposure.

While the long-term health effects of microplastic accumulation are still being studied, the precautionary logic is straightforward: if you can reduce a source of daily plastic exposure by switching to a natural fiber, there's no reason not to.

The research

Sources

  1. Napper, I.E. & Thompson, R.C. (2016). "Release of Synthetic Microplastic Plastic Fibres from Domestic Washing Machines: Effects of Fabric Type and Washing Conditions." Marine Pollution Bulletin, 112(1-2), 39-45. View source
  2. Belzagui, F., et al. (2019). "Microplastics' Emissions: Microfibers' Detachment from Textile Garments." Environmental Pollution, 248, 1028-1035. View source
  3. Boucher, J. & Friot, D. (2017). "Primary Microplastics in the Oceans: A Global Evaluation of Sources." IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. View source
  4. OEKO-TEX Association (2023). "OEKO-TEX Standard 100 — Product Certification." OEKO-TEX International. View source
  5. Browne, M.A., et al. (2011). "Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Worldwide: Sources and Sinks." Environmental Science & Technology, 45(21), 9175-9179. View source
  6. De Falco, F., et al. (2019). "The Contribution of Washing Processes of Synthetic Clothes to Microplastic Pollution." Scientific Reports, 9, 6633. View source

Reduce the exposure.

Switch to 100% cotton. No blends, no synthetics, no plastic fibers against your skin. Start with The Switch — six towels, $99.

Get The Switch — $99