[Goonbaggins]

That's a good question. Sadly there's definitely microplastics involved. Research into microplastic effects is still in very early stages. When you're creating any sort of dust (wood, metal, plastic, etch) particles around humans it's a good idea to have a dust mask at minimum.

My understanding is that most of the microplastic concerns at the moment are about how they're reaching our water sources and oceans. The amount being produced just by washing clothes is relatively scary.