Panipat, India — A Guardian investigation reports rising lung disease, skin conditions and cancer among workers in the city that recycles about one million tonnes of discarded clothing a year.
Panipat is known as the “cast off capital of the world”. It shreds used garments from Europe, North America and east Asia into yarn for rugs and home textiles. Workers describe air thick with lint and dust. A government TB doctor says many mill patients show chronic coughs and COPD, and that long term fibre exposure leaves people more vulnerable to infections.
Researchers say inhaled microfibres and microplastics can damage airway tissue. In Panipat, mixed fibres are shredded into “shoddy” yarn that is “never free of microplastics”, a waste tracking programme told the reporter. Masks and ventilation are often poor, while some owners insist it is “just dust”.
The impact reaches beyond factory walls. Registered dyeing and bleaching units and many alleged to be unregistered are accused of dumping untreated effluent. Officials have logged more than 80 discharge points into “Drain No 2”, which feeds the Yamuna River, with tests showing high solids and low oxygen that make stretches unfit for aquatic life. Residents report rashes and other illnesses; a 2022 report found heavy metals in groundwater. An industry association disputes claims of ongoing violations.
Source: The Guardian, Fast fashion recycling: how “the cast off capital of the world” is making Indian factory workers sick, 7 October 2025, by Anuj Behal.
Source: www.climatewatchonline.com
