According to research done by an environmental non-governmental organization into Xintang town in Guangdong in 2011, which produces a similar quantity of jeans as Fumian, the domestic market leader, the amount of chemicals - copper and cadmium- in the mud of a river bed in the town was over the limit allowed under the State's standards. The cadmium content in one sample was as much as 128 times what is considered to be the safety limit.

The measure indicates how serious the pollution problem is in Fumian.

The data provided by China National Textile and Apparel Council came from 133 textile industrial groups across East and South China, most of which have similar environmental issues, analysts warn.