Except for the few clout-chasers that needed reminding, common sense dictates that popping laundry detergent pods into one’s mouth is a bad idea, but how much of an impact these pouches have on the environment has been murky. Most pods get made using water-soluble plastic, specifically polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, which does biodegrade. According to a new study, however, most of it ends up in the environment where it can ultimately cause harm.

Researchers from Arizona State University recently published a study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health exploring the conditions under which laundry detergent pods degrade and travel through our municipal water systems to estimate the amount of plastic added to the environment through detergent products and their usage.