{"id":127234,"date":"2022-03-25T12:11:51","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T16:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=127234"},"modified":"2022-03-25T12:11:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T16:11:51","slug":"student-research-week-can-wetlands-help-clean-the-mess-your-laundry-makes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/student-research-week-can-wetlands-help-clean-the-mess-your-laundry-makes\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Research Week: Can Wetlands Help Clean the Mess Your Laundry Makes?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sophia Stahl is passionate about the environment and protecting it. That\u2019s why the Sanford, Florida, native is pursuing a degree in environmental studies at UCF.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also why she\u2019s been conducting hard core research that gets her waist deep in wetland muck. She\u2019s hoping that treatment wetlands can help battle against the microplastics that are generated in your laundry and aren\u2019t caught by wastewater treatment systems.<\/p>\n
Much of today\u2019s clothes are made of synthetic or semi-synthetic fabrics such as spandex or rayon, she says. Microscopic pieces of these fabrics break off when they tumble around in the washer and don\u2019t dissolve in the water, which can cause problems for wildlife. There is not much research on the long-term effects of ingesting microplastics in humans.<\/p>\n