Plastics are polluting the sea in various ways, sometimes as single-use plastic, sometimes as filters in cigarettes, and sometimes as synthetic fibres. These plastic fibres are mixed with water during processing in textiles under mechanical and chemical pressure, and they have ended in the sea through drains. People have become more civilised over time. And thus, as an initiative to move through issues like this, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has led the “World Environment Day” annually on June 5th since 1973. This year, we are speaking to “#BeatPlasticPollution”. Just as this incredible advancement has benefited the planet, it also puts it at risk daily. That hazard is what we refer to as environmental contamination. Fabric fibre is one of them.

All fabrics are made of fibres. However, synthetic fibres are made of artificial or man-made materials, most of which are formed using petroleum raw materials known as petrochemicals. Synthetic fibre is also a chain of small components called monomers that are bonded together. Each minuscule unit is composed of a chemical component. Numerous such small units combine to produce a single giant unit referred to as a polymer. The term ‘polymer’ derives from two Greek words: poly, which means multiple, and mer, which means part/unit. Thus, a polymer is composed of several repeating units. Nylon, acrylics, polyurethane and polypropylene are a few examples. Each year, millions of tons of these fibres are manufactured worldwide.

A wide range of clothes, home furnishings and industrial products (such as swimsuits, foundation garments, hosiery, and athletics) are made from synthetic fibres such as Nylon, Polyester, Lycra, and Spandex. These are popular because of their robust, elastic and extremely strong properties. Polyester fibres are man-made textile fibres generated through condensation polymerisation of monomers: dicarboxylic acid, terephthalic acid, and ethylene glycol. Polyester manufacture involves using hazardous chemicals including carcinogens, which if released untreated into water and air can cause substantial environmental damage. The majority of polyester is produced in countries such as China, Indonesia and Bangladesh, where environmental policies are poor, and pollution from air and water is frequently discharged untreated, leading to severe pollution and harm to communities near manufacturing plants. Polyester factories can discharge hazardous substances into the environment without wastewater treatment systems, including antimony, cobalt, manganese salts, sodium bromide and titanium dioxide. Polyester, as an oil-based plastic, does not biodegrade in the same way that natural fibres do. Rather than that, it remains in landfills for at least several decades, possibly hundreds of years. When polyester textiles and garments are laundered, the fibres shed and infiltrate streams and oceans as microplastic fibres. Microplastics are ingested by fish, shellfish and other aquatic species, accumulating and concentrating toxicity higher up the food chain. These organisms can enter human food chains and spread throughout the ecosystem.

Condensation polymerisation is also used to create nylon sourced from petrochemicals that are not biodegradable and consequently harm the environment. The raw material is transformed into adipic acid and hexamethylene diamine, two coal tar compounds. Because nylon is made from petrochemicals, it is harmful to the environment. Nitrous oxide and other harmful gases are released during nylon production as a result of the use of synthetic polymers. On the other hand, nitrous oxide emissions are about 300 times more hazardous than carbon dioxide emissions. Nylon fabric also emits hazardous volatile chemical compounds like nitrous oxide. Two of the most common sources of microplastic contamination in the ocean are nylon fishing nets and synthetic textile fibres that degrade during washing at home. In contrast to typical synthetic fibres such as nylon and polyester, spandex is not made from fossil fuels but rather from laboratory-processed chemicals such as macroglycol and diisocyanate monomer. However, their manufacture consumes a significant amount of energy and power. Additionally, spandex contains polyurethane, a substance that is suspected of being carcinogenic and mutagenic. Exposure to this substance on a repeated basis can cause harm to the kidneys, liver, brain and bone marrow.

Despite the substance’s well-documented health dangers, no occupational exposure restrictions exist. Additionally, washing spandex results in the formation of small fibre balls that infiltrate the water system, damaging marine life and drinking water. Further, because spandex is a non-biodegradable fabric, it persists in the biosphere for an extended period and is dumped in landfills with no known mechanism for converting spandex waste to biodegradable material. However, spandex has a few environmental concerns that make it unsustainable and damaging to the environment. Filtration and recycling of fibre particles are problematic.           However, there is a health concern associated with acrylic fibre because these polymers are classified as carcinogenic by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are linked to the development of cancer and skin diseases. Bangladesh’s textile and apparel industry represents over 83% of the country’s total exports and more than 45% of employment, making it the largest contributor to the country’s export earnings and the largest source of employment. Water pollution is currently the number one challenge faced by the fast-growing textile and apparel industry in Bangladesh. According to the Natural Resources Defences Council research, industrial pollution accounts for 60% of pollution in the Dhaka watershed, and the textile industry is the second largest contributor. Textile manufacturing in the country has a huge environmental impact, generating as much as 300 metric tons of wastewater per ton of fabric, with a host of harmful chemicals. Clothing that contains synthetic materials such as polyester and nylon contributes to microplastic pollution, which can end up in the ocean and the seafood that humans eat, according to NBC’s Mach. From the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, fibres from synthetic fabrics make up an estimated 35% of microplastic that enters the ocean.

Many of us wear synthetic textiles such as polyester, acrylic, acetate and nylon because they appear to simplify our lives by being comfortable and stain-resistant. Sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide, which are generated from coal, oil or natural gas, are utilised to manufacture the fibres. Polyester factories contribute significantly to air and water pollution, which may negatively affect human health. Chemically treated fabrics contain pollutants that are harmful to both your health and the environment. Synthetic fabrics are non-biodegradable, which means they do not decompose in the soil, and the chemicals used in their manufacture might seep into the environment when discarded. We must make people aware of the use of synthetic fibres, and the government must be strict in implementing and enforcing various laws to stop and reduce synthetic fibre use and protect the environment.

[The writers are the Chairman and a Lecturer, respectively, at the Environmental Science Department in Stamford University Bangladesh]