Hello lovely readers! This post will focus on the health hazards associated with the denim sector.
Blue jeans have always been in style. I myself am guilty of having too many pairs… They come in different washes and cuts, so theres virtually a pair for almost every occasion. However, as common as jeans are, denim itself is a very unique fabric. Denim isn’t even restricted to jeans, we have denim jackets, denim bucket hats, denims vests, anything! Denim is one of the largest sectors in the textile industry. It consumes a large amount of water, with each pair needing approximately 7000 litres of water to produce.
Denim is made of cotton, and the cultivation and processing of cotton itself brings its own set of problems, namely the pollution of groundwater and aquifers by pesticides. These pesticides also acutely poison agricultural workers, from seizures to respiratory illnesses and death. Long term exposure results in chronic illnesses like severe depression, impaired memory and disorientation. Cotton fields in India and Uzbekistan engage child labour for cotton farming and pesticide application. Child labour can also be seen in China, where there are many jean factories that cater to this global demand for denim.
Well… All these health risks associated with cotton processing seem applicable to nearly ALL clothes, so what makes jeans so special? Jeans get their rugged, “worn” look from a process called sandblasting. Sandblasting uses fragments of sand containing silica to abrade the denim. Factory workers risk getting silicosis, a disease caused by the inhalation of dust containing silica in crystalline form. There is no cure for the disease and it continues to progress even after exposure is halted. While there are alternatives to sandblasting such as laser printing or using sandpaper on the denim, sandblasting is preferred due to the lower costs and higher reliability.
I hope you gained some insight into the complex and lethal process of denim production through this post. Stay tuned for my next one where I will highlight the environmental impacts of denim production!
♡, Qystina
Sources:
Arjun, D., Hiranmayee, J., & Farheen, M. N. (2013). Technology Of Industrial Denim Washing: Review. International Journal of Industrial Engineering & Technology (IJIET), 3(4), 25-34.
How Many Gallons of Water Does it Take to Make a Single Pair of Jeans? (2019, November 22). The Fashion Law. Retrieved October 1, 2020, from https://www.thefashionlaw.com/how-many-gallons-of-water-does-it-take-to-make-a-single-pair-of-jeans/
Muthu, S. S. (Ed.). (2017). Sustainability in Denim. Matthew Deans.