Pollutants released by global textile industry are continuously doing unimaginable harm to the environment. They pollute land and make it useless and barren in the long run.
Surveys show that it is the cotton which consumes the highest amount of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. These fertilizers as well as used pesticides pollute and deplete soil. There comes another aspect of growing cotton. Despite mechanized harvesting, the cotton industry is still largely dependent on cheap labour where childrenÅ› labour plays a major role. Even the following procedures in cotton processing, such as dyeing and softening, contribute to soil pollution.These are the general facts which have been afore mentioned.
A study was conducted to test the amount of metals present in soil and groundwater located near textile and tannery plants in Haridwar, India. Results indicated all the metals like Chromium (Cr), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), and Cadmium (Cd) were present in amounts larger than those prescribed as safe by World Health Organization (WHO). Majority of them dump in the ground. Similarily, textile manufacturing units release hazardous waste into the nearby land.
On the overall scale in the world, the pollution in the Czech Republic caused by textile industry is on really a low level. Even if the situation is not so bad, in the run of the last decade heavy metal toxicity has attracted the attention of many scientists. The increase in environmental pollution is mainly due to human activity. Although currently textile industry does not play a major role, metals such as Cr,Mn,Cu,Pb, etc. tend to accumulate in soils. Mercury, currently used for the production of artificial silk, used to be contained in textile dyes. Even if it has been replaced, residual waste waters coming especially from the dyeing process still significantly contribute to pollution and a complimentary treatment process is needed to remove the colour and if possible the residual impurities.
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The changes in the rate
of pollution caused by TI
Soil pollution
To sum up,the values of cadmium, mercury and lead released by textile enterprises meet Czech norms and the highest concentrations do not appear in areas where textile factories are located
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Noise pollution
of pollution caused by TI
Most of the textile machineries cause noise and sound. There are a few types of machines in textile industry even in the 21th century such as annular spinning machines, rotor spinning machines, yarn forming machines, cordless weaving machines and knitting machines which still contribute to noise pollution.
Another environmental issue appears after closing the factories down. For example, the former biggest wool-processing factory in our country since the times of Maria Theresa reign, Vitka Brněnec, has become only a crumbling complex of buildings after its close-down. Additionally, in the plant there was found a great deal of chemicals, poisons and harmful substances which used to be needed during textile production. In 2013 thirty litres of life threatening sulfuric acid leaked into the soil in the close neighbourhood of the Svitava River.
Another abandoned textile plant caught fire in early 2018 and put at risk the citizens of Krnov.
In terms of soil pollution the abandoned and deteriorating textile plants pose a great risk because of the residual chemicals in the land nearby and it is the Czech state which has to solve its detoxification at the state costs.
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Issues of post-production
of pollution caused by TI