Environmental Toxicity due to Textile, Pharmaceutical and Mining Industries

Toxicity from Textile, Pharmaceutical and Mining Industries waste:

The booming population is causing escalation in the industrial sector and thus increases the demand for water. Wastewater released from many industries is a major concern for the environment causing water pollution. From textile, pharmaceutical and mining industries distinct kinds of waste are generated but mostly wastewater effluent is produced. The waste is hazardous to the environment and causes environmental toxicity. To reduce the environmental toxicity, wastewater treatment plant must be used to reduce harmful impacts and toxicity. Therefore, proper treatment of wastewater from industries before sending into waterways has become vital.

Environmental toxicity from textile industry:

Nowadays, the textile industry is growing high due to the increasing usage and demand of textile products globally. The processing in the textile industry consists of various stages. Many chemicals are used in the manufacturing of textile products. In textile manufacturing, acetic acid and formaldehyde are the two main harmful emissions released out in the environment and impact the human, animals, and natural atmosphere and causes environmental toxicity. The processes that generate high quantity of effluents are pre-treatment, dyeing, printing, and finishing. The effluents produced are starch, surfactants, carboxyl methyl cellulose, sodium hypochlorite, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium phosphate, tiny cotton fibre, waxes, wetting agents, sodium hydroxide, and hydrogen oxides.

Wastewater of textile industry:

In the textile industry millions of water gallons are used which produces a lot of wastewaters so most of the waste produced from the textile industry is in the form of wastewater effluent. The wastewater is not treated and disposed of into the water bodies with harmful pollutants in it that leads to environmental toxicity. The wastewater mostly holds PBDEs, lead, phthalates, organochlorines, and chemicals. The toxins released into water and present in the wastewater of textile industry are salts, surface active substances, toxic organic chemicals, ionic metals, biocides, and poisonous anions. The wastewater that is formed due to printing and dyeing process consists of high color, remains of reactive dyes, high BOD, high COD, sprays chemical and complex chemicals in it. Because of high BOD and COD concentration the water becomes highly polluted and high color levels restricts sunlight to pass down the water results in imbalance of the ecosystem.

Harmful pollutants in the textile wastewater:

The major water pollutants released from the textile industry are iron, chromium, chlorinated compounds, salts, urea, hydrogen peroxide, surfactants, and high pH NaOH. The wastewater consumed by large groups of people for drinking purposes and daily activities in far areas causes human health disorders. The quality of water is reduced in textile processing. Biodegradable pollutants utilize oxygen during the degradation process and thus decrease the water quality and impact the aquatic organisms. The pollutants enter the food chain and bioaccumulate in it hence affecting humans and animals.

Azo dyes are vastly utilized in the textile industry and are discharged in the environment as wastewater. These dyes have environmental mutagens and generate genotoxic dyes causing toxic impacts like damaging the DNA of organisms. Hence treatment methods are required for wastewater and effluents to reduce the hazardous impacts on the environment.

Solid waste is also produced such as fabric soaked with oil or grease. This kind of waste is toxic to the environment and causes harmful impact. The highly coloured textile wastewater impact photosynthetic function in flora and in aquatic organisms by eutrophication.

The crops are watered by the wastewater of textile industry, which hardens the texture of soil and prevents the penetration of roots. When the wastewater of textile industry flows it corrodes and varnishes the sewage pipes and impacts the quality of drinking water in pumps.

Toxicity in soil from textile industry:

When the effluents from the textile industry release into environment they become part of soil for a longer time and obstructs the soil pores resulting in loss of yield. The soil becomes tough, and the root permeation becomes prohibited. Salt concentration degrades the soil quality and makes the land unsuitable for agriculture. Triphenylmethane dyes such as malachite green and crystal violet causes phototoxicity in crops, cytotoxicity in mammalians and stimulate development of tumour in fish species. Alkyl phenol ethoxylates are utilized in dye houses as wetting agents are hazardous to aquatic organisms as they result in hormonal disruption. The germination of some vegetables such as lady finger and kidney bean, brassica, radish, and turnip reduce due to solicitation of textile effluents and the production of these vegetables decline in many areas globally.

Heavy metals from textile waste:

Many metals are utilized in textile industry in the phase of dyeing for imparting color. The heavy metals releases in water bodies and soil are posed to be hazardous for human health. The exposure from the toxin causes skin and lung irritation, nausea, headache, and congenital malformation. Due to incomplete degradation of chemicals aromatic amines formed which are responsible for tumour and inducing cancer in human beings. Non-biodegradable compounds stay in the environment and enter and disrupt food web and bioaccumulation occurs affecting the fauna and human life negatively. As the textile effluents become part of food web in aquatic organisms it causes various physiological disorder such as hypertension, renal damage, sporadic fever, and cramps.

Toxicity in air by textile industry:

Air pollution is caused by different processes such as printing, dyeing, fabric preparation and from wastewater treatment plants. Hydrocarbons are emitted through drying operation while mineral oil drying gives out formaldehyde, and acids. Air pollution is a major concern of the textile industry as carbon dioxide, aerosol fumes, volatile organic compounds, and poisonous gases release in the form of smoke and have pungent smell. These pollutants are released into the environment and cause environmental toxicity. Pollutants from diesel generators, boilers and thermotank released into the air. Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and suspended particulate matter are some of the air pollutants that settle into the environment as toxins and affect the nearby population.

The chemicals settle in the environment and become toxins show some characteristics such as durability, bioaccumulation and hazardous. These chemicals can be called as POPs and PBTs.

Synthetic azo dyes and colorants:

Synthetic azo dyes in textile industry are toxic and carcinogenic posing extreme risk to human health. The effluents from dyeing depart into the adjacent fields, waterways, irrigation channels and reach into the waterbodies such as in lakes, rivers, and sea. When dyes settle down in surface and subsurface water, they become intolerable and result in several diseases including cholera, dermatitis, respiratory problems, and perforation of nasal septum.

The colorants used in textile industry globally contain chlorine which is a carcinogen. This causes alteration in biochemical and physical mechanism of organisms and results in damage of crucial function such as respiration, reproduction process, osmoregulation, and mortality, specifically in fishes. Moreover, textile industry has such a material such as reactive dyes that cause allergic reaction to the workers and causes asthma, rhinitis, and nasal damage.

Environmental toxicity by pharmaceutical industry:

In pharmaceutical industry, wastewater generated through the batch processes and by washing activities of solid cakes, extraction or by washing the equipment and originates mainly from the fermentation and chemical synthesis process. By production processes and use of pharmaceuticals, the compounds of pharmaceutical enter in water. In water, the pharmaceutical products cause effects like it feminize the fishes. Due to the presence of drug Diclofenac, cause extinction in vulture population. The veterinary pharmaceuticals contaminate the soil. The wastewater from chemical synthesis in pharmaceutical industry is more. The sewage has much toxicity and need wastewater treatment. Wastewater from the synthesis process have high BOD, COD, TSS and pH.

The wastewater of pharmaceutical industry has microplastics, active biomass, antibiotics, and phenols. The wastewater poses gene altering and endocrine disrupting effects on the aquatic life and effect the plants and human health. The wastewater of the pharmaceutical industry produced from the chemical process and contain huge quantity of toxicity, salinity, and pollutants.

The pharmaceutical wastewater has high COD and nitrogenous compounds. Due to the salinity, the pharmaceutical wastewater is difficult to treat. The pharmaceutical wastewater has effects on the environment. The Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and removing of color is problem in the environment. The drug plants produce hazardous wastewater and have nauseating odour. The organic matter, gelatine produce from the packaging of antibiotics in wastewater.

Contaminants of pharmaceuticals in water:

The contaminants of the pharmaceutical industry entered in the drinking water. The contaminants pose effects on the aquatic organisms. The effects are less in adult while high in the children. The teratogenic drugs when entered in the water cause effect on the pregnant women. The presence of medicines in drinking water is now a major issue for the society. The drug named Diazepam can cause birth defects when entered in the water.

The wastewater of the pharmaceutical transmits the infectious microorganisms to the workers of the farms. Cholera, typhoid, the helminthiasis risk posed by the wastewater of the pharmaceuticals. The drug named Diclofenac pose toxicity in the birds. The drug at high concentration effects the human and the ecosystem as it inhibits the DNA synthesis. The drug of pharmaceutical Triclosan interfere with the nitrogen cycle in the soil ecosystem and is very toxic to the algae of the aquatic organisms. The activity of the enzyme affected by the sulphonamides.

The pharmaceuticals present in the water such as anti-inflammatory drugs, contraceptives, and antiepileptic. These drugs enter in the aquatic environment and causes effect on the organisms. The wild population such as vultures collapse due to the exposure of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) as the population expose to the drug Diclofenac. API also causes reproductive impairments in the wild organisms.

Toxicity of pharmaceutical in aquatic life:

Fluoroquinolone drug present in high amount in the water. The induction of defence mechanism occurs due to the effluents. The embryo of zebrafish and growth of tadpoles reduced. In Gudgeon species, the disruption of endocrine occurred due the presence of pharmaceutical wastewater. The wastewater of pharmaceuticals also effects the bacterial community also, causes the fish to change its sex due to the presence of antibiotics in it. The quantity of the fishes also reduced due to the pharmaceuticals in the water.

Toxicity of pharmaceutical in human:

The pharmaceuticals cause issues in the human when entered in the environment. The sexual developments interfered by the hormones and endocrine-active compounds in the human. At low concentration, sometimes the anticancer drugs can cause cancer in the human body by drinking the polluted water of the pharmaceutical. The people at risk are elders, little children, and pregnant women. The active substances of the pharmaceuticals pose effect on the fish, algae, and bacteria. Diclofenac drug cause mortality in the organisms mostly in the vultures. In fishes, the reproduction affected by the presence of the steroids mainly estrogens such as ethinylestradiol. The sex reassignment from male to female of the fishes due to the presence of this drug. Due to numerous impacts, it is considered necessary to use wastewater treatment plants and equipment in order to lessen the toxicity and effects coming from the industry.

Environmental toxicity by mining industry:

From mining industry, metal toxicity is one of the impacts on flora and affects the ecosystem. The flora that grows in metal polluted sites exposes to altered metabolism, metal accumulation, reduction in growth and reduced biomass production. Metals affect the biochemical and physiological processes of flora. Fugitive dust originates from coal haul road, coal stockpiles, and topsoil stockpiles is a problem in the areas that have high wind flow, low precipitation, and erodible soils. The environment is affected by overburden blasting from mining industry as it causes air and noise shocks.

Acid mine draining from mining:

Mining industries cause acid mine drainage which is a significant concern for the environment. Numerous chemical contaminants released into water convert to acidic form. Acid mine drainage is formed from chemical reactions between rock and water containing sulphur minerals. The runoff that comes from coal mining activities has rock exposed containing pyrite. Pyrite causes acid generation and dissolve metal in coal and hard rock sites. Acid leachates affect aquatic biota, and due to high concentration of heavy metals aquatic life and surrounding vegetation decline. Yellowboy formed which is the yellowish orange precipitation due to acid mine drainage that coats the stream and obstructs activities such as biological activities in water and streams. Mining industries causes lowering of ground water table in the mining area due to exhaustive pumping of mine water. Chromium is released from mining industries which is toxic and classified as carcinogen. Cr (VI) inhalation causes acute toxicity, asthma, irritation, and ulcer of nasal septum.

Toxicity by gold mining:

Gold mining industries release mercury that is toxic for humans and the environment. About two grams of mercury are released into the environment from every gram of gold production. Each year about a thousand tons of mercury is released into the environment. Mercury can travel a great distance once released into the environment and is difficult to remove at its resting place. Chronic exposure causes impairment of neurological development, fatigue, tremors, and behavior disorder and impact the lifecycle of fishes. Gold mines release hazardous elements from tailing and mining waste. Infiltration of water steers leaching metals like zinc, nickel, lead, arsenic and copper into rivers and streams by sulphide tailing pipes, waste, and development rocks. The quality of ground and surface water impacted by tailing and rock dumps. In extraction of gold in mining industry cyanidation method used that causes emission of hydrogen cyanide, produce heavy metals, and cause global warming due to low grade ore extraction.

Conclusion:

Growing industrial sectors have heightened the release of various pollutants that affect the environment. Most devastating impact is water pollution of industries. Water quality is affected by toxic impurities and chemicals from industries and affect the health of plants, animals, and humans. The wastewater is not treated and disposed of into the waterbodies with harmful pollutants in it that leads to environmental toxicity. Thus, wastewater treatment plants are necessary for purification of any toxic impact in textile, pharmaceutical and mining industries.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How does the textile industry harm the environment?

About 20% of the clean water pollution in the world is attributed to the dyeing and finishing of textiles. An estimated 0.5 million tons of microfibers per year are released into the ocean during the washing of synthetics.

2) What are the pollutants produced by the textile industry?

The production of steam from coal and water is the primary cause of air pollution in the dyeing and printing sectors. When steam is created, carbon, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulphur are also produced, which contribute to air pollution.

3) What is environmental pollution due to pharmaceuticals?

When pharmaceutical medications and their metabolites enter the aquatic environment (groundwater, rivers, lakes, and seas) through wastewater, it is referred to as drug pollution or pharmaceutical pollution. Therefore, drug contamination mostly refers to water pollution.

4) What is the primary cause of pharmaceutical pollution?

The production and consumption of synthetic chemicals, which are present in many everyday home products including medicines, toothpastes, cosmetics, and cleaners, is rising globally. Synthetic chemicals typically cannot be removed by most wastewater treatment plants, therefore they end up in ground and surface waters.

5) What are the environmental impacts of mining?

Natural mineral extraction frequently results in imbalances that are harmful to the ecosystem. The main effects of mining on the environment are on the habitats of wildlife and fisheries, the water cycle, regional climates and rainfall patterns, sedimentation, the loss of forests, and the disruption of the ecology.