Hello readers, welcome back! In our previous post, we talked about the repercussions of textile dyeing and how much pollution that it can produce. We thought it would be interesting to highlight how the pollution created from textile dyeing has affected the surrounding areas in West Bengal, India.
The Indian government has started to aid the development of the textile industry in West Bengal in order to increase its market share. However, several studies (1-3) have shown the effects on human health, as well as the environment in the areas surrounding the textile industry in West Bengal.
Environmental Impacts
Some reported consequences of the textile industry in West Bengal are:
An increase in surface water pH.
Heavy metal contamination, especially chromium in closed water bodies that receive effluent discharge directly from textile factories (close to no chromium was found in a nearby river).
Increase in air pollutants such as (PM2.5 and PM10).
Contamination of vegetation in the surrounding areas.
Human Health Effects
In West Bengal, people have reported an increase in respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, and cold-related fevers, all of which have been found to be strongly linked to the textile clusters which produce large amounts of particulate matter.
Furthermore, people in the West Bengal region have been reporting problems with gastrointestinal disorders. A study (3), has even labelled it an "epidemic dimension". These researchers have attributed it to the increasingly heavy metal contaminated fruit and vegetables growing in the area. They found that heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and nickel were found 2-40 times more concentrated in local fruit and vegetables than the control samples.
In conclusion
Due to the lack of opportunities of the population in West Bengal, many of them are forced to work in the textile industry, exposing them to many of these harmful pollutants. We can only wish for better regulation of how these factories handle the treatment of its effluents and other waste in order to reduce the health impacts it has on its workers, as well as the surrounding population.
Yours faithfully,
Bremen
References
(1) Gupta, Biman Gati, Jayanta Kumar Biswas, and Krishna M. Agrawal. "Air Pollution from Bleaching and Dyeing Industries Creating Severe Health Hazards in Maheshtala Textile Cluster, West Bengal, India." Air 2017, no. 10 (2017): 117862211772078.
(2) Sanyal, Tanmay, Anilava Kaviraj, and Subrata Saha. "Deposition of Chromium in Aquatic Ecosystem from Effluents of Handloom Textile Industries in Ranaghat–Fulia Region of West Bengal, India." Journal of Advanced Research 6, no. 6 (2015): 995-1002.
(3) Gupta, Biman & Agrawal, Kamales & Biswas, Jayanta. "Effects of Heavy Metals of Bleaching and Dyeing Effluent on Soil, Vegetables, and Fruits in the Maheshtala Region in West Bengal", India. (2016). 10.1061/9780784479865.003.
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