Toxics

Electrochemical treatment of textile dye wastewater generates toxic disinfection byproducts, including chloroform and bromoform, at concentrations far exceeding US drinking water safety limits. Sodium chloride, routinely added to boost treatment efficiency, has been identified as the primary driver of byproduct formation, raising serious concerns for factory workers and downstream environmental health.

Lead has been found in fast-fashion children's clothing at levels exceeding US federal safety limits, according to preliminary research presented at the American Chemical Society's spring meeting. All 11 shirts tested surpassed the 100 parts-per-million regulatory threshold, with brightly coloured garments recording the highest concentrations and simulated digestion tests indicating harmful exposure risks for young children.

Researchers in China have used artificial intelligence to design better carbon-based materials that can clean toxic dyes from industrial wastewater. By analysing hundreds of lab results, the system identified the most effective combinations for dye removal, helping make low-cost, eco-friendly solutions for the textile and chemical industries more efficient.

University of Arkansas chemical engineering researchers have successfully developed a groundbreaking environmental remediation method that transforms lignin, an abundant waste byproduct generated by the global pulp and paper industry, into a highly effective solution for removing toxic azo dyes from contaminated textile wastewater systems with remarkable laboratory-tested effectiveness rates.

India’s textile industry is under scrutiny as a new report reveals alarming levels of nonylphenol (NP), a toxic and persistent chemical, in garments and river systems near major production hubs. Widely used in textile processing, NP poses serious health and environmental risks. Experts warn that lack of regulation could harm public safety and jeopardise India’s textile exports amid rising global scrutiny.

The European Commission’s proposal to restrict PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ is at serious risk of being hijacked by corporate lobbying, warns a Corporate Europe Observatory’s analysis of newly-released documents that reveal industry's influencing tactics. The conclusion is clear: it’s time for a lobby firewall to protect PFAS decision-making from corporate lobbying.

The 2024 Retailer Report Card analyses 50 major US and Canadian retailers representing 160 businesses that generate over $4 trillion in annual revenue and hold significant influence over the use of toxic chemicals in their supply chains.

Recent investigations have revealed alarming levels of harmful chemicals in ultra-fast fashion items as retailers like Shein, Temu and AliExpress surge in popularity in Australia and across the globe.

US researchers have discovered a bacteria that can destroy certain kinds of PFAS or forever chemicals linked to cancer and other human health maladies.

A global manufacturing centre of the fast fashion sector, Bangladesh, with no specific regulations on PFAS, has high levels of toxic PFAS chemicals in its surface and tap water samples, collected from industrial areas that are centres of the textiles industry throughout and around Dhaka.