ABSTRACT

Lint contamination is a serious threat to U.S. cotton, both for the textile industry but also for the raw cotton side of the industry. The total cost of cotton contamination is immeasurable. In the past few years, textile mills worldwide have invested an estimated $200 million on equipment that will detect some of the major contaminant. This is money just to help minimize the problem and does not include the revenue lost due to broken contracts, loss of business or loss of confidence of a supplier even though effective contamination devices. These investments were made even though contamination detection devices are only partially effective.

The first place in the textile process that contaminants are evident, are in the fabric inspection line after the yarns have been woven or knitted, scoured, bleached and dyed. This is a costly place to find contaminants, because one contaminated bale will have tainted several hundred thousand pounds of cotton. Contamination is even more costly in the finished garment. In this case (slide) we are looking at men's shirts that would retail from $25-60. Because of contaminants the garments are virtually useless.