Editing Textile (section)

== Environmental and health impacts ==
After the oil industry, the fashion industry is the second biggest polluter of agricultural land, which has several harmful impacts on the environment. As the industry grows, the effect on the environment is worsening.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-0-323-85403-0.00004-9 |chapter=Waste management in fashion and textile industry: Recent advances and trends, life-cycle assessment, and circular economy |title=Emerging Trends to Approaching Zero Waste |date=2022 |last1=Gupta |first1=Richa |last2=Kushwaha |first2=Anamika |last3=Dave |first3=Dushyant |last4=Mahanta |first4=Niva Rana |pages=215–242 |isbn=978-0-323-85403-0 }}</ref> Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest and most technologically complicated industries. This industry's fundamental strength stems from its solid manufacturing base of a diverse range of fibers/yarns ranging from natural fibers such as jute, silk, wool, and cotton,&nbsp;to synthetic or manufactured fibers that include polyester, viscose, nylon, and acrylic.

Textile mills and their wastewater have grown in proportion to the increase in demand for textile products, generating a severe pollution concern around the world. Numerous textile industry chemicals pose environmental and health risks. Among the compounds in textile effluent, dyes are considered significant contaminants. Water pollution generated by the discharge of untreated wastewater and the use of toxic chemicals, particularly during processing, account for the majority of the global environmental concerns linked with the textile industry.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-7890-0_4 |chapter=Environmental and Health Effects of Textile Industry Wastewater |title=Environmental Deterioration and Human Health |date=2014 |last1=Khan |first1=Sana |last2=Malik |first2=Abdul |pages=55–71 |isbn=978-94-007-7889-4 }}</ref>

=== Environmental impacts ===
Clothing is necessary to meet the fundamental needs of humans. Increased population and living standards have increased the need for clothing, enhancing the demand for textile manufacturing; wet processing needs more water consumption.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Muthu |first=Subramanian Senthilkannan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pvx7DwAAQBAJ&q=water+in+textile+and+fashion |title=Water in Textiles and Fashion: Consumption, Footprint, and Life Cycle Assessment |date=26 November 2018 |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |isbn=978-0-08-102654-0 |language=en |access-date=2023-01-07 |archive-date=2023-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405094439/https://books.google.com/books?id=Pvx7DwAAQBAJ&q=water+in+textile+and+fashion |url-status=live }}</ref> Conventional machinery and treatment procedures use enormous quantities of water, especially for natural fibers, which require up to 150&nbsp;kg of water per kg of material.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=van der Walt |first1=G. H. J. |last2=van Rensburg |first2=N. J. J. |title=Low-Liquor Dyeing and Finishing |journal=Textile Progress |date=March 1986 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=1–50 |doi=10.1080/00405168608688900 }}</ref>
The textile sector is accountable for a substantial number of environmental impacts. However, the discharge of untreated effluents into water bodies is responsible for the majority of environmental harm produced by the textile sector.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1201/9781315148588 |title=Pollution Control in Textile Industry |date=2017 |last1=Bhatia |first1=S.C. |isbn=978-1-351-37306-7 |editor-first1=Sarvesh |editor-last1=Devraj }}{{pn|date=January 2025}}</ref>

The textile sector is believed to use 79&nbsp;trillion litres of water per year and to discharge around 20% of all industrial effluent into the environment.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhu |first1=Lisha |last2=Chen |first2=Bilin |last3=Liu |first3=Junran |last4=Chen |first4=Shuang |last5=Zhang |first5=Ying |last6=Wang |first6=Xiaopeng |last7=Wang |first7=Laili |date=19 October 2022 |title=Assessing baseline water footprints of natural fiber textile products in China |journal=Journal of Cleaner Production |volume=379 |language=en |pages=134747 |doi=10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134747 |bibcode=2022JCPro.37934747Z }}</ref> Reportedly, [[Aromatic compound|aromatic]] and [[heterocyclic compound]]s with color-display and polar groups make up most of the dyes used in textile coloration processes. The structure is more complex and stable, making it more difficult to degrade printing and dyeing wastewater.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Körlü |first1=Ayşegül |title=Textile Industry and Environment |date=2019 |publisher=BoD – Books on Demand |isbn=978-1-83880-027-7 }}{{self-published inline|date=January 2025}}{{pn|date=January 2025}}</ref>

In addition, textiles constitute a significant percentage of landfill waste. In 2023, [[North Carolina State University]] researchers used [[enzymes]] to separate cotton from polyester in an early step towards reducing textile waste, allowing each material to be recycled.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oleniacz |first1=Laura |title=Researchers Separate Cotton From Polyester in Blended Fabric |date=20 March 2023 |url=https://news.ncsu.edu/2023/03/researchers-separate-cotton-from-polyester-in-blended-fabric/ |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=12 April 2023 |archive-date=12 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412014949/https://news.ncsu.edu/2023/03/researchers-separate-cotton-from-polyester-in-blended-fabric/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Health impacts ===
Many kinds of respiratory diseases, skin problems, and allergies may be caused by dyes and pigments discharged into the water.

Although formaldehyde levels in clothing are unlikely to be at levels high enough to cause an allergic reaction,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Scheman |first1=AJ |last2=Carroll |first2=PA |last3=Brown |first3=KH |last4=Osburn |first4=AH |year=1998 |title=Formaldehyde-related textile allergy: An update |journal=Contact Dermatitis |volume=38 |issue=6 |pages=332–6 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0536.1998.tb05769.x |pmid=9687033 |doi-access=free }}</ref> due to the presence of such a chemical, quality control and testing are of utmost importance. Flame retardants (mainly in the brominated form) are also of concern where the environment, and their potential toxicity, are concerned.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Alaee |first1=M |title=An overview of commercially used brominated flame retardants, their applications, their use patterns in different countries/regions and possible modes of release |journal=Environment International |date=September 2003 |volume=29 |issue=6 |pages=683–689 |doi=10.1016/S0160-4120(03)00121-1 |pmid=12850087 |bibcode=2003EnInt..29..683A }}</ref>

==== Chemicals use, advantage and health impacts ====
Certain chemical finishes contain potential hazards to health and the environment. [[Perfluorinated compound|Perfluorinated acids]] are considered to be hazardous to human health by the [[US Environmental Protection Agency]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=US EPA|first=OCSPP|date=29 April 2015|title=Chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)|url=https://www.epa.gov/chemicals-under-tsca|access-date=2021-07-24|website=www.epa.gov|language=en|archive-date=2010-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118092730/http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/deccadbe.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Name of the substance
!Advantage in textile products
!Associated health risks and environmental impacts
!References
|-
|[[Perfluorooctanoic acid]] (PFOA), [[Polytetrafluoroethylene]] (Teflon)
|[[Hydrophobic effect]]
|[[Endocrine disruptor]]
|<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Betts|first=Kellyn S.|date=2007|title=Perfluoroalkyl Acids: What Is the Evidence Telling Us?|journal=Environmental Health Perspectives|volume=115|issue=5|pages=A250–A256|doi=10.1289/ehp.115-a250|issn=0091-6765|pmc=1867999|pmid=17520044}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): 1. What is PFOA and what is it used for?|url=https://www.greenfacts.org/en/pfoa-cookware-waterproofing/l-2/index.htm|access-date=2021-07-01|website=www.greenfacts.org|archive-date=2021-07-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182349/https://www.greenfacts.org/en/pfoa-cookware-waterproofing/l-2/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Fluorocarbon]] (PFC)
|Hydrophobic effect
|May cause respiratory illness
|<ref>{{Citation|last1=Hays|first1=Hannah L.|title=Fluorides and Fluorocarbons Toxicity|date=2021|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430799/|work=StatPearls|place=Treasure Island (FL)|publisher=StatPearls Publishing|pmid=28613550|access-date=2021-07-01|last2=Mathew|first2=Dana|last3=Chapman|first3=Jennifer|archive-date=2021-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811104636/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430799/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Bromine]]
|[[Brominated flame retardant]]
|[[Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances]] may cause [[neurobehavioral disorders]] and [[endocrine disruption]]
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Brominated Flame retardants in the Environment|url=https://www.cerc.usgs.gov/pubs/center/pdfdocs/pbde.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-01|archive-date=2021-07-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181419/https://www.cerc.usgs.gov/pubs/center/pdfdocs/pbde.pdf}}</ref>
|-
|Silver, [[silver nanoparticle]]
|[[Antimicrobial resistance]]
|[[Environmental impact of silver nanoparticles]] and toxic effects on human health
|<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ermini|first1=Maria Laura|last2=Voliani|first2=Valerio|date=27 April 2021|title=Antimicrobial Nano-Agents: The Copper Age|journal=ACS Nano|volume=15|issue=4|pages=6008–6029|doi=10.1021/acsnano.0c10756|issn=1936-0851|pmc=8155324|pmid=33792292}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=AshaRani |first1=P. V. |last2=Low Kah Mun |first2=Grace |last3=Hande |first3=Manoor Prakash |last4=Valiyaveettil |first4=Suresh |title=Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Human Cells |journal=ACS Nano |date=24 February 2009 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=279–290 |doi=10.1021/nn800596w |pmid=19236062 }}</ref>
|}

==== Testing ====
Testing for these additives is possible at a number of commercial laboratories. It is also possible to have textiles tested according to the [[Oeko-tex]] certification standard, which contains limits levels for the use of certain chemicals in textiles products.