Canadian scientists have made public a new problem of our time. They claim that microscopic pieces of denim fibers contaminate water bodies and rivers. Ecological damage is inflicted during laundry. But why popular clothes can be harmful for nature?
Surely everyone in the closet has two or three jeans or denim pieces. Perhaps you are wearing clothes made of denim right now, this is what scientists see the main problem. The jeans are incredibly popular. This is not surprising, because the denim fabric is not wiped, torn, though a little rough. Historians in the future will simply describe the current fashion. On each T-shirt, sneakers and jeans.
Statistics also say that every minute 50% of the world's population is wearing something denim.
Denim fibers are even in the Arctic Ocean.
Despite the convenience and quality of their products, they have one serious disadvantage: they are harmful to the environment. In the bottom sediments of the American Great Lakes, specialists found denim microfibers. Most of them were found in the state of Ontario. The same was obtained during the analysis of sediment samples in the Arctic Ocean. In these samples, 23% were denim microfibers. Scientists began sounding the alarm after they determined the causes of particles hitting the oceans. It turns out that it was the laundry.
Experiments have shown that one item loses 50 thousand micro-fragments during washing. They merge into engineering networks during rinsing and then get into the ocean with water. Of course, water goes through several stages of cleaning, which detain 99% of contamination. But 1% is still discharged into local water bodies, and 1% of 50 thousand is 500 microparticles. It is a lot for one wash.
Half of the people on Earth, which is almost 3.8 billion people, at least once a week, wash one pair of pants, it turns out that in the ponds every week gets about 2 trillion particles of tissue. The first pants made of denim fabric were sewn according to the plan of the American industrialist Livaya Strauss in 1953. Everywhere they were worn after about 100 years. It turns out that more than half a century continues this great pollution of nature washing.
What is dangerous dyed cotton
In its composition, natural denim is cotton. The natural fiber decomposes quickly in nature, if it were not for the dyes. Previously, the threads of the base were dyed with organic paint - indigo, if it was necessary to obtain other shades, used dyes based on sulfur. With the beginning of mass production of indigo, there was a lack of it, and it became unprofitable to use it. At that time, the chemists came into action. Today, indigo is a chemical substance synthesized on an industrial scale. But unlike its natural counterpart, "fake" indigo decomposes long in the natural environment and forms harmful products after decomposition.
But the dye is not the biggest evil either. Today, the denim is given elasticity and strength by means of synthetics. All this is washed away together with impurities and accumulates in the bottom sediments. For a long time the problem was silenced until the northern seas were analyzed. In the future, more thorough research will be carried out and the methods of denim fabrics manufacturing will be revised. Although the manufacturers are unlikely to want to change the methods of production. Therefore, only we can help nature, less often washing favorite things.