Microfibers of polyester and cotton might be significant for the transport and fate of chemical pollutants in the air due to the amounts emitted, as well as their capacities to sorb inorganic and organic compounds. It was hypothesized that household tumble driers could be atmospheric sources of these microfibers. This study quantified the number of the two most common textile fibers discharged from a household vented tumble dryer to ambient air. The results suggest that driers of this type are a potential source of air contamination by microfibers, releasing 433,128–561,810 microfibers during 15 min of use. Microfibers can be generated from both polyester and cotton textiles. The abundances of microfibers of polyester produced were directly proportional to the masses of clothing loaded into a dryer, but such a relationship was not apparent for cotton textiles. On the basis of the results presented here and other relevant data, it was estimated that the average Canadian household can annually release from 9 × 107 to 12 × 107 microfibers from a single dryer. To minimize the release of these microfibers into the air, an appropriate engineered filtration system should be developed and adopted as an effective control measure for individual household driers.

Danyang Tao

Kai Zhang

Shaopeng Xu

Huiju Lin

Yuan Liu

Jingliang Kang

Tszewai Yim

John P. Giesy

Kenneth M. Y. Leung

Environmental Science & Technology Letters

Published as soon as accepted and summarized in monthly issues, Environmental Science & Technology Letters is an international forum for brief communications on experimental or theoretical results of exceptional timeliness in all aspects of environmental science (pure and applied), and short reviews on emerging environmental science & technology topics. Manuscripts describing cross-disciplinary research or addressing emerging issues are of particular interest.

Environmental Science & Technology Letters is an international forum for brief communications on experimental or theoretical results of exceptional timeliness in all aspects of environmental science (both pure and applied). Published monthly, it features manuscripts that describe cross-disciplinary research or address emerging issues, as well as short reviews on emerging topics in environmental science and technology.

《Environmental Science and Technology Letters》是一个国际性论坛，专注于环境科学（包括基础和应用）各个方面的实验或理论结果的简要交流。该期刊每月发布已接受的稿件，并总结成月刊，特别关注跨学科研究或新兴问题的稿件。此外，期刊也欢迎关于新兴环境科学与技术主题的短评。

Category	Quartile
环境科学与生态学	2
环境科学与生态学, 工程环境	2
环境科学与生态学, 环境科学	2

Microfibers Released into the Air from a Household Tumble Dryer

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES	1