Are your jeans polluting?

The Pearl River Delta in China, is known for the textile factories that line it's banks. After viewing satellite images of the river and seeing the extreme difference in water color from the section that houses the textile factories compared to the other sections of the river, CNN correspondent Emily Chang investigated. Many of the factories here produce denim and dye other clothing products and are dumping their industrial waste into the river. Even the river banks are littered with scraps of the pants most of us feel most comfortable in. One factory owner told Emily that some of the toxic dye mixture from his plant is treated, and reused later but that some of it doesn't and he doesn't know where it goes. But if he simply walked to the back of his factory, he would see the pipes leading from his plant, to the river. None of the pipes leading to the river from any of the factories are labeled and studies have shown that the river's water quality is quite low. Many cancer causing materials have been found there, in the river. According to many scientists and various studies if the water quality in China does not improve there will be a massive water crisis. Chinese officials have vowed to try to regulate and require companies to improve waste treatment. However, they believe it will be difficult to keep tabs on all of the factories.

Submitted by: Emily Schaub