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Plastic pollution has emerged as a critical global concern, with microplastics increasingly detected across various ecosystems, including the atmosphere. Among indoor sources, hospital laundry units have been identified as significant contributors to airborne microplastic emissions. This study investigates the concentration of inhalable microplastics (MPs (in the air of a hospital laundry environment. In this study, air sampling was conducted at three different time points using a personal air sampler operating at a flow rate of 0.5 L/min for 40 min per sample. Microplastics were characterized using FTIR, SEM, and EDX to ensure accurate identification. FTIR analysis identified the predominant polymer as polyamide (nylon), with characteristic peaks consistent with CH2, C = O, and N-H groups. EDX analysis indicated an elemental composition of C (59%), N (32%), O (7%), and P (0.07%). SEM images revealed pronounced diurnal and day-to-day variability, with particle concentrations ranging from 43575 to 66975 particles/m3, though statistical analysis showed these variations were not significantly influenced by environmental factors such as humidity and air velocity in this short-term study. Notably, black particles dominated the samples, representing 97% of the MPs. These results underscore the potential for direct inhalation exposure in occupational settings, raising concerns about respiratory health risks for laundry staff and patients. Therefore, further research is needed to inform the development of stricter ventilation standards, occupational safety measures, and regulatory policies to mitigate microplastic emissions in healthcare environments.

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) have been used as antimicrobial additives in textiles, but information on their levels in textiles and ecological impacts from laundry wastewater is scarce. Here, 119 textile products from Chinese online vendors were analyzed for traditional and emerging QACs using target and suspect screening approaches with high-resolution mass spectrometry. The total concentrations of 18 traditional QACs ranged from 7.34 to 145,000 ng/g, and 16 emerging QACs were identified with total concentrations at 5.45 to 349,000 ng/g. Under laboratory-controlled conditions, over 76% of the selected textiles exhibited QAC migration rates exceeding 50% after washing. In simulated laundry experiments, hand-washing released a ΣQAC concentration of 42.1 ng/mL, and machine-washing released 22.4 ng/mL, with differences attributed to the water volume used by different methods. Both laundry wastewater and QACs solution at equivalent concentrations caused dose-dependent immobilization of Daphnia magna. Combining bioassay-based risk characterization factors with environmental dilution factors across 150 countries, 7% of regions showed high risk after WWTP-treatment, increasing to 41% for direct discharge with sewage. The high migration rates suggest that QAC-treated textiles not only fail to maintain long-term antimicrobial efficacy but also contribute to continuous low-level environmental exposures, raising concerns about their essential use in nondisposable textile materials.

The rapid increase is urbanization and emerging economies led to overexploitation of water sources. Although agriculture and industry account for more than 60% of total water consumption, the domestic sector contributes substantially to wastewater generation, with nearly 50-80% of discharged wastewater originating from household activities. The ever-increasing population and urbanization directly relate to increased laundry activities, which in turn produces huge amount of wastewater. In this study, a sustainable, waste derived ceramic membrane is used for the treatment of laundry effluent. The use of ceramic membrane coupled with gravity driven dead end filtration setup makes the process overall cost effective. The performance analysis of the membrane was done on the 2 front, pollutant removal and fouling control. The membrane showed a substantial reduction of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), microplastics (MPs), and turbidity of 88 %, 98 %, and 99 %, respectively, while operating at subsequently low pressure of 0.05 bar. The COD and MPs concentration were found to be 1265 mg/L and 2.88 × 106 pieces/L. The reduction of COD from 1265 mg/L to 145 mg/L was observed, which gives the acceptable standard for non-potable purposes. At the same time, membrane shown excellent anti fouling properties with 81 % of flux recovery ratio (FRR). The study revealed that the membrane fouling was dominated by the combined effect of the complete pore blocking and cake filtration. The high pollutant removal, added with excellent antifouling properties, makes the fabricated ceramic membrane a good candidate for the treatment of laundry effluent with end water ready for non-potable purposes.

Our previous study demonstrated that laundry detergents induce group 2 innate lymphoid cell-driven eosinophilic airway inflammation by disrupting airway epithelial barriers and promoting IL-33 release, and that detergent residues are present in nearly all household dust. However, their impact on allergen-induced airway inflammation remains unclear. C57BL/6 background mice were intranasally primed four times with ovalbumin (OVA) or house dust mite (HDM) allergens in the presence or absence of a commercial laundry detergent. Following priming, mice were challenged with the same antigen for 3 consecutive days and sacrificed the day after the final challenge. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and sera were analyzed by ELISA. Lungs were evaluated histologically and analyzed by qPCR. Mice intranasally primed with antigen in the presence of detergent exhibited eosinophilic airway inflammation upon antigen challenge, accompanied by increased IL-5 and IL-13 levels in the BALF. Intranasal administration of detergent and antigen also stimulated antigen-specific IgE production. These detergent- and allergen-induced type 2 responses were significantly suppressed in Il33-/- and Il13-/- mice. Administration of an anti-IL-4 receptor α chain antibody during the challenge phase reduced eosinophil counts in the BALF and antigen-specific IgE levels in the serum. By contrast, anti-IL-33 antibody treatment during the challenge phase did not affect eosinophilic airway inflammation or antigen-specific IgE production. Laundry detergents promote sensitization to co-inhaled allergens and exacerbate eosinophilic airway inflammation and antigen-specific IgE responses via IL-33 and IL-13. These findings suggest that detergents can act as adjuvants that facilitate airway sensitization.

Laundry is an everyday necessity in modern life, yet its role in converting vast amounts of clean household water to wastewater remains underappreciated primarily due to the excessive reliance on detergents to achieve effective cleanliness and hygiene. To tackle this enduring issue particularly amid mounting global concerns over water scarcity, here a self-cleaning polyelectrolyte multilayer coating was developed by alternately spraying poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(vinylsulfonic acid) (PVS) onto various fabrics-including both hydrophobic synthetic fibers and hydrophilic cotton textiles-forming an ultra-high dense sulfonate-derived complete hydration layer that enables the effective removal of food stains, oily residues, bacteria, and fungi through simple rinsing with tap water. This innovation transforms conventional detergent-assisted, multi-step laundry practices - typically requiring 1 washing cycles and 4 rinsing cycles - to a single detergent-free rinsing cycle with enhanced cleanliness and hygiene. As a result, the overall consumption of water, electricity, and time is reduced by approximately 82%, while the discharge of detergent- and microplastic-laden wastewater is entirely eliminated. This study presents an approach for sustainable textile care that has the potential to advance environmentally responsible and resource-efficient hygiene technologies in everyday life.

Hygiene poverty is a term describing the inability to afford essential hygiene products such as laundry detergent, toothpaste, menstrual products, or diapers, which profoundly affects dignity. Few community-level strategies have been developed to improve access to hygiene or "dignity" products. This case study from Kansas highlights the process and outcomes of a successful community-driven intervention that originated in one county and was adopted by 10 other Kansas counties. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(5):615-618. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308410).

Research on interactions between surfactants and proteins typically studies protein denaturation. Resistance to surfactant-induced denaturation is exploited in the use of detergent enzymes which are commonly used with petrochemically derived anionic surfactants. The basis for this resistance remains unclear but has great technological relevance. To address this, we use different biophysical techniques: circular dichroism, enzymatic activity assays, isothermal titration calorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scattering, to provide a detailed and global description of how surfactants impact protein structure and function. We study three laundry-relevant enzymes, an α-amylase, a cellulase, and a protease, which are combined with the model anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate as well as three anionic biosurfactants (rhamnolipid, sophorolipid, and surfactin). Our studies uncover a wide range of interactions and effects. As expected, lack of measurable interactions between all surfactants and the amylase translates to lack of effect on enzymatic activity. However, enzymatic activity is enhanced by surfactant in cases involving an insoluble substrate (cellulose) or conformational changes (protease). This last effect occurs in parallel with protease self-cleavage as observed by the appearance of small fragments and significant changes in scattering profiles. These processes rationalize previous reports of detergent-mediated inactivation of alkaline proteases, a main component in detergent formulations.

Increasing the frequency of laundering in cold water has been demonstrated to reduce energy consumption, but heated water laundering rates remain high. This is particularly true in wealthy, western nations. This paper describes an individual-level, situated intervention utilizing attentional control and construct activation to motivate cold water laundering. In Study 1, we report the first direct observational study of laundering in a field setting, finding that (a) only 21% of laundry loads were washed with cold water, and (b) behavioral, normative, and control beliefs were associated with laundering in cold water. In Study 2, we report an experimental field test of an intervention designed to increase rates of cold-water laundering. The intervention significantly increased cold water laundering (57%) compared to a control condition (25%). We also tested mediators of the intervention and laundering behavior association and observed that control beliefs fully mediated the relationship. We discuss the theoretical and practical contribution of these studies to the environmental psychology and motivational science literatures.

Polyester (PES) is one of the main synthetic polymers used by the textile industry. The fate of PES microfibres in the environment depends on various parameters including photodegradation and fibres characteristics. In this study, the release and subsequent degradation of PES fibres before and after domestic washing were investigated, using accelerated hydrolytic degradation simulations. Fibres from differently manufactured PES textiles (undyed and dyed fabrics, whole garments) were obtained by cutting the textiles or by washing them in a household washing machine and collecting the fibres released. Degradation simulations of the fibres were performed using an alkaline solution. Hence, this is the first study that employed microfibres directly released during laundry in degradation experiments, to provide a realistic approach. Fibres were analysed in order to compare the effect of the degradation on the differently manufactured textiles, while analyses of the degradation solutions were, also, performed for polyester degradation product quantification and leachates identification. Degradation of PES fibres was evident, with changes in colour, mass loss and PES degradation products increasing throughout the process. Higher fibre loss, double quantity of terephthalic acid (PES product) and higher reduction of vinyl benzoate (PES marker) indicated more substantial degradation of the fibres from garments than those from the fabrics. Non-target analysis of the degradation solutions performed by HPLC-HRMS/MS also indicated that a greater release of leachates including dyes and additives (e.g. 4-nitrophenol, disperse orange 3, phenyldiethanolamine, and acetoacetanilide) occurred during the simulated degradation of the garment fibres, compared to the fabric ones.

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Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare condition defined by the presence of air in the mediastinum in patients without an observable traumatic cause. Pneumomediastinum is a somewhat rare condition that occurs 1 in every 25 000 individuals, aged 5 to 34 years old, with 76% occurring in men. Pneumomediastinum can further be divided into 2 categories: SPM and traumatic pneumomediastinum. Traumatic pneumomediastinum is most commonly seen with blunt force trauma or any iatrogenic procedures to the chest wall. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum frequently occurs due to air leaking through small alveolar sacs, which rupture within the surrounding bronchovascular sheath. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum can be further divided into primary and secondary causes; the main difference is that secondary SPM requires a preexisting condition (ie, lung disease). Primary SPM is considered when trauma or any iatrogenic causes are ruled out. Secondary SPM, which is more common, is usually seen with esophageal perforation. Few case reports have been published connecting the inhalation of marijuana, cocaine, and the use of opioids to SPM, and, until now, no published data links the ingestion of cleaning products to SPM. This case report presents a 28-year-old White man who developed a SPM following the ingestion of bleach, dish soap, and laundry detergent and the inhalation of methamphetamines. This case report highlights the potential for chemical-induced pneumomediastinum and emphasizes the importance of considering unusual etiologies in patients presenting with acute chest pain and respiratory distress after chemical exposures with a suicide attempt. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is due to a pressure change within the thoracic cavity as a result of air leakage. This has been commonly seen with certain risk factors, such as cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and, most commonly, Boerhaave's syndrome. However, there are other less commonly known risk factors that can predispose a patient to or contribute to them developing SPM, including methamphetamine use and inhalation of laundry chemicals.

This case shows that benzalkonium chloride is an important sensitizer for contact dermatitis.The patient did not respond to conventional eczema treatment. Pathological examination and detailed history-taking revealed that benzalkonium chloride in the detergent was the causative factor. After avoiding exposure to this allergen, the condition improved, emphasizing the need to consider contact dermatitis in patients with refractory eczema.

This study investigates the transport and retention of microplastic fibres (MFs) in slow sand filtration (SSF) systems using coarse and fine sand media under varying flow conditions. SSF is one of the most energy-efficient and cost-effective tertiary treatment methods. This study examined the performance of SSF for treating washing machine effluents heavily contaminated with MFs, such as those from washing machine discharge. Fine sand filters (with effective grain size of 0.2 mm) consistently retained significantly fewer MFs in the effluent than coarse sand filters (with an effective grain size of 0.6 mm), by a factor of 1.3 ± 0.2, with retention occurring predominantly within the upper 0-10 cm of the filter bed, highlighting the dominant role of the surface layer in MF capture. Between 83.9% and 93.6% of MFs in the filter effluents were 10-50 μm in length, with 10-20 μm fibres forming the dominant fraction across filtration rates of 5, 10, and 20 cm/h. Increasing filtration rate promoted deeper MF penetration into the filter bed, reduced overall retention, and increased MF breakthrough. Dissolved organic carbon removal was slightly higher in fine sand filters than in coarse sand filters, and effluent pH increased modestly with longer retention times. The highest MF removal efficiencies were achieved at the lowest filtration rate (5 cm/h), where removal reached 92.0% and 95.0% for coarse and fine sand, respectively. These trends are consistent with a mechanistic interpretation in which MF transport and retention are governed by interception, straining, and limited diffusion within the porous media, rather than simple size exclusion. SSF therefore represents a promising low-energy treatment option for mitigating MF release from wastewater effluents, particularly for fibres larger than 10 μm.