The document discusses the environmental pollution caused by jeans production in Xintang, China. Xintang is home to over 15,000 textile factories that produce 300 million denim articles per year, employing 220,000 people. However, the waste water from washing jeans to give them a worn look contains heavy metals and goes untreated directly into rivers. Tests found river sediment in Xintang contained cadmium levels over 100 times the national limit. While jeans are a large industry, the environmental effects of production must be addressed to bridge economic and environmental concerns.