Close
today i learned (til)

The Dangers of Dye

April 24, 2026

Today, one of the most common issues someone will find scrolling through social media is with fashion. One of the problems lies in overconsumption, where people are buying way more clothes than they need, and throw out perfectly good pieces because they no longer like them.

However, it is also important to consider the processes that it takes to make those clothes and the effect that those processes may have on the environment as well.

 

Dyes in Textiles: Why is it an Issue?

Clothes sold in stores can come in a plethora of colors. However, it is quite obvious that the fabric does not always start off that color. Fabrics must be dyed to be made into clothing, but the dying process can actually be harmful to the planet.

However, dying fabric requires its own process; color is not simply added to a garment. First, the fabric must be stripped of its impurities and prepared with a chemical solution to ensure that the fabric can maintain an even color (Khattab, Abdelrahman, & Rehan, 2020). Only then can dye be added to the product, where it is later finished to ensure that the clothing maintains its color. 

How is this possibly an issue? Well, not only is the dye in fabrics harmful to the planet, but it is directly harmful to consumers as well. While some customers have reported irritated skin due to their clothing, others who work as employees in the textile industry have reported developing contact dermatitis and asthma from prolonged exposure to the dye materials (Khattab, Abdelrahman, & Rehan, 2020). Additionally, the amount of water used in the fabric dyeing process has also resulted in a large amount of wastewater, which has found its way into streams. This has caused harmful chemicals to spread to the soil, which in return has caused harm to plants and animals in these areas. (Khattab, Abdelrahman, & Rehan, 2020).

 

Dyeing with Algae

One of the main solutions to this issue involve the use of algae, a group of photosynthetic organisms commonly found in the water. This means that they are capable of making their own food, consuming the carbon dioxide in the environment and releasing oxygen as a byproduct.

According to one research article, algae reproduces rather quickly, taking mere hours to produce large populations (Ayyanar et al., 2023). Additionally, algae would not compete for the same resources that typical plants would, since it can grow in sea water and waste water. This means that producing algae could possibly take fewer resources than the typical agriculture used for textiles. 

The article also writes about how algae has a large number of uses, so producing a large amount would not go to waste. Not only can algae be used to screen the waste water that is so harmful to our environment, but it can also be used to make plastics, yarn, fertilizers, and even cosmetics (Ayyanar et al., 2023). Moreover, algae is biodegradable, decomposing at a rate that is even faster than the cotton that is traditionally used to make fabrics (Ayyanar et al., 2023). This means that farming algae could serve as a potential solution to reducing the major environmental effects of the clothing industry in today’s world.

Although it does not hold the answer to all of the problems with the industry, it can be a great stepping stone towards progress.

 

Works Cited

Khattab, T.A., Abdelrahman, M.S. & Rehan, M. (2020). Textile dyeing industry: environmental impacts and remediation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 3803–3818. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07137-z 

Ayyanar, I., Bharathi, S.J. G., Ravindran, A., Rajendran, R., Arulprakasam, A., Vellaisamy, B. (2023) Chapter 14 – Algae materials for textile industries,In Developments in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Algae Materials, Academic Press, 231-246, ISBN 9780443188169, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-18816-9.00018-6. 

0Likes
About Author

Hey hi! I'm a CS major here at Georgia Tech that enjoys learning all things art and design.

You May Also Like

today i learned (til)
Understanding the Use of CRISPR in Humans
today i learned (til)
Seeing Beneath the Surface: The Power and Limitations of PET-CT Imaging
today i learned (til)
Should We Be Ignoring Duolingo’s Threats? A Look at the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
today i learned (til)
Hey Kids: Brush your teeth, stay in school… and read the citations!

Your journey starts here! Let’s talk!

ThemeRex © 2026. All rights reserved.
  Timothy Durham was convicted of rape when a test showed his DNA genotype matched the DNA recovered from the crime scene. Eye witnesses testified that Durham was in a different state at the time of the incident, but he wasn’t exonerated from his 3000 year sentence until follow up DNA analysis showed that the preliminary forensic analysis used in the trial was misinterpreted (Thomas et al.). DNA testing serves an invaluable part in our criminal justice system, but it comes with complications and bias that can lead to wrongful convictions and misinformed juries.  

Background:

Forensic genetics aims to identify the origin of a biological sample. It can be traced back to Karl Landsteiner who discovered human ABO blood groups. With blood groups, suspects could be eliminated based on their blood type. For example, if a suspect had type A blood and there was type B blood left at the scene by the perpetrator, the investigators could rule out the suspect. Unfortunately, the reverse didn’t work. If the suspect and perpetrator both had the same blood type, it can’t be concluded that the suspect was guilty. Blood identifiers evolved into 8 distinct categories which improved the ability to eliminate suspects, but could only conclude that (if the system matched) it might be the perpetrator or this person might be related to the perpetrator (Jobling and Gill). The field evolved in the 1980s with the discovery of Minisatellites, lines of repetitive DNA that don’t encode proteins. Minisatellite patterns in DNA create what we know today as the DNA fingerprint, and it has a much higher accuracy rate than previous methods (Augustyn et al.). Around the same time, a breakthrough for victims of sexual assault was discovered. In the case of assault, bodily fluids of both the victim and the assaulter can get mixed. A process called differential lysis was created which could selectively increase the concentration of sperm in a fluid sample thereby allowing for accurate DNA testing (Jobling and Gill). Forensics evolved to use single-locus probe testing after several years because of its ease of interpretation. It looked at specific minisatellites that had high variability between subjects. This was the first DNA-based method to be used in a criminal investigation. Two murder homicides from several years apart were connected using DNA evidence. The evidence was then used to exonerate an innocent man, and the guilty party was found when he tried to evade mandatory DNA testing for all men in the small town. His guilt was then reinforced when the DNA profiles matched, and he gave a confession (Jobling and Gill). Finding DNA at a crime scene doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find a murderer. There are issues with non-pure samples and limited samples that make DNA work difficult, and accreditation of facilities and new techniques and take time (Jobling and Gill).  

Subjectivity of DNA Interpretation:

In a 2009 publication, the National Academy of Science discusses the possibility for subjective influence in lab based forensics. The interpretation bias happens in complex cases where, for example, there could be a mixture of DNA. A study published in 2011 looked specifically at this issue. A gang rape happened in Georgia, and the mixture in DNA from the case was used to prosecute one suspect after another suspect took a plea bargain to testify against him. With DNA mixtures, there are three possible conclusions: suspect excluded, suspect cannot be excluded, and inconclusive. If the suspect is excluded, it means that there’s little to no possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. If the suspect cannot be excluded, it means that there’s a possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. In the trial, the DNA examiners who knew the context of the case concluded that the suspect being prosecuted could not be excluded. The 2011 study gave the DNA evidence from this case and the DNA profiles of the suspects to 17 forensic examiners. These examiners had no context of the case, and they all worked independently. Of the 17, only 1 came to the same conclusion (suspect cannot be excluded) as the examiners who knew the context of the case. Twelve of the 17 concluded that the suspect who was prosecuted and convicted had no relation to the DNA found in the sample. Not only does this show that subjectivity occurs due to the context of the case, but the 17 examiners came up with different findings based on their past experiences meaning that not all DNA analysis is objective. Some organizations like the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods say that quantitative statistical evidence should be presented with every categorical conclusion, but the US doesn’t require this (Dror and Hampikian).

False Positives:

There are two categories that cause wrongful identification in a DNA report: coincidental matches and false positives. Coincidental matches are DNA matches between two unrelated people. The probability of these matches is about 1 to 500,000 for white individuals and about 1 to 350,000 for black individuals. This small probability of coincidental matches makes people feel confident in DNA evidence. False positives, on the other hand, are matches between DNA and test DNA that result from issues in the forensics lab. There have been multiple cases of forensics labs accidentally switching victim and suspected rapist DNA which lead to convictions that were later overturned when the lab realized the error. There are also cases of misreading or misunderstanding a sample. In a case from 1993, a man was convicted of rape because someone interpreted a mixed sample of victim and perpetrator DNA as an individual sample. The conviction was again overturned. To prevent false convictions, retesting DNA is allowed, but it’s not an efficient solution. Many people are pushing for statistical information on the probability of false positives, so that the jurors can make accurate judgements based on DNA evidence (Thomas et al.).  

Conclusion:

DNA analysis is a useful tool for the criminal justice system, but subjectivity can be an issue in forensic testing. To combat wrongful convictions, there are organizations like The Innocence Project who use DNA testing to free the innocent, but reformed forensic testing standards should be put in place to prevent subjectivity and to ensure juries are correctly informed during trials. https://www.innocenceproject.org/    

Citation:

Augustyn , Adam, et al. “DNA Finerprinting.” Encyclopedia Britannica , 26 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/DNA-fingerprinting#ref153186. Dror, Itiel E., and Greg Hampikian. “Subjectivity and Bias in Forensic DNA Mixture Interpretation.” Science & Justice, vol. 51, no. 4, 2011, pp. 204–208., doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2011.08.004. Jobling, Mark A., and Peter Gill. “Encoded Evidence: DNA in Forensic Analysis.” Nature Reviews: Genetics, vol. 5, no. 10, Oct. 2004, pp. 739–751., doi:10.1038/nrg1455. Thompson, William C, et al. “How the Probability of a False Positive Affects the Value of DNA Evidence.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 48, no. 1, Jan. 2003, pp. 1–8., doi:10.1520/jfs2001171.