SUST1000 Week 1

1. Read the following fact sheet

2. In your group, consider where the chemical fits into the life cycle of the cotton t-shirt.
3. Draw a simple diagram of how the chemical is transported through the environment, transformed into a
toxin, and how this impacts the environment and humans. Share your findings with the class

FATE OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER I

Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient for chlorophyll synthesis and thus plant growth. Plants can extract it from
compost, manure, or chemical fertilisers (N-fertiliser).
When N-fertiliser is applied to the soil it needs to be converted by bacteria into nitrate (NO3) – a form of nitrogen
which can be absorbed by crops – this process is called nitrification. However, only a portion of NO3 is taken up by
crops; most of the remaining NO3 leaches into waterways especially during irrigation and excessive rainfall, or rinses
off from fields during soil erosion and water runoff.
NO3 contaminates drinking water, causing serious health problems especially in vulnerable populations such as infants
and pregnant/nursing women.
Additionally, excess build-up of NO3 in any body of water leads to an increase in algal growth. This process is known
as eutrophication. The abundance of algae reduces light penetration through the water column, thereby reducing
plant growth and increasing decomposition rates below the water surface. Decomposition of plant and algal matter
depletes oxygen, resulting in significant fish deaths.
Specific algae can furthermore release toxins that can be taken up by shellfish. Contaminated shellfish pose a
significant risk to humans as they can cause fatal illnesses when consumed.

SUST1000 Week 1
1. Read the following fact sheet
2. In your group, consider where the chemical fits into the life cycle of the cotton t-shirt.
3. Draw a simple diagram of how the chemical is transported through the environment, transformed into a
toxin, and how this impacts the environment and humans. Share your findings with the class

FATE OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER II

Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient for chlorophyll synthesis and thus plant growth. Plants can extract it from
compost, manure, or chemical fertilisers (N-fertiliser).
When N-fertiliser is applied to the soil it needs to be converted by bacteria into nitrate (NO3) – a form of nitrogen
which can be absorbed by crops – this process is called nitrification. However, only a portion of NO3 is taken up by
crops; NO3 can be converted to a gas (denitrification) and lost to the atmosphere. Depending on the soil condition, the
gas produced may be nitrogen gas (N2), nitrous oxide (N2O), or nitric oxide (NO). It’s estimated that 4 Teragrams* N2O
are released into the atmosphere per year.
N2O is a strong greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 300x higher than carbon dioxide, thus accelerating the
anthropogenic greenhouse effect and contributing to climate change.
It also reacts with ozone and contributes to ozone depletion (the ozone hole), thus increasing the UV light entering
Earth’s atmosphere. UV light increases risk of humans developing skin cancer, sunburn, and cataracts.
*1 Teragram = 1,000,000,000 kilograms
SUST1000 Week 1
1. Read the following fact sheet
2. In your group, consider where the chemical fits into the life cycle of the cotton t-shirt.
3. Draw a simple diagram of how the chemical is transported through the environment, transformed into a
toxin, and how this impacts the environment and humans. Share your findings with the class

FATE OF INDUSTIAL DETERGENT NONYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATE

Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) are used as industrial detergents in the textile industry. Like most detergents,
majority of the chemical ends up in factory waste water. Wastewater treatment processes break down the NPEOs,
however the Nonylphenol (NP) fraction remains.
NP is an oestrogen mimicking compound, meaning that it is capable of interfering with the reproductive system of
numerous organisms. After wastewater is treated, it is released into bodies of water where the NP is taken up by algae
and fish. As most of these organisms cannot metabolise the NP, it accumulates in their body (known as
bioaccumulation). Larger species that consume the affected fish also accumulate NP (known as biomagnification). The
ingestion of NP across fish species results in decreased fertility, health, and declining fish stocks.
Communities living within the vicinity of a textile factory gain exposure to NP through treated wastewater, raising
concerns for human health and fertility.

SUST1000 Week 1
1. Read the following fact sheet
2. In your group, consider where the chemical fits into the life cycle of the cotton t-shirt.
3. Draw a simple diagram of how the chemical is transported through the environment, transformed into a
toxin, and how this impacts the environment and humans. Share your findings with the class

FATE OF AZO-DYES
Azo-dyes are used in colouring textile fibres. Many dyes maintain a rather loose bond to the fibres; therefore they can
migrate over time from the fabric to human skin or be ingested.
Especially workers in textile factories and retail shops can absorb significant amounts of dye via their skin. Also, infants
suckling on clothes can take up azo-dyes. In the human body azo-dyes are metabolized and break down to aromatic
amines – a carcinogenic compound that causes bladder cancer.
At the factory, up to 50% of textile dyes are discharged to the wastewater during the dyeing process. Azo-dyes used
must have a high chemical stability in order not to be lost to when washing or wearing the textile. Consequently, they
are not easily broken down in sewage plants and may rather adsorb to the sludge.
Sewage sludge is generally deposited to agricultural soils, where small amounts of the adsorbed dyes can be taken up
by crops and enter the food chain. Concern for human health is primarily focused on populations living near
manufacturing where dyes have been manufactured and effluents and sludge disposed of.