Our skin is the body’s largest organ and has the potential to absorb everything that we put on it. This is less of a concern when wearing organic and natural fibres made with natural dyes, but what if you’re not?
Unlike food and beauty, our clothing doesn’t come with an itemised list of ingredients (like synthetic or natural dyes) that have gone into its manufacturing. Instead, these chemicals (many of which are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors) are undisclosed and well hidden within the fabric. This can present a potential danger to our health and the environment, with reported impacts ranging from allergic reactions to respiratory diseases.
Many of these chemicals are still present in our clothes when we buy them, both intentionally and unintentionally. There is no strict global regulation on the use of toxic chemicals in the textile industry, and in many garment producing countries there is little to no regulation at all, so it can be difficult to know just what chemicals are hidden in our clothing. As with beauty, we prefer to know what we are putting on our body, so here are some synthetic chemicals we watch out for:
Synthetic Chemicals to Avoid
AZO dyes are commonly used to colour fabric. According to industry organisation Common Objective, around 60-80% of all fabric colourants in use today are AZO dyes2. They produce a long lasting and vibrant colour, which makes them appealing to manufacturers. However, some AZO dyes release chemicals known as aromatic amines, some of which have been associated with cancer and skin allergies in workers employed in the manufacture of AZO dyes3. Luckily, the EU has restricted the use of AZO dyes that release amines in any textiles that come into contact with human skin.
PHTHALATES AND PLASTICISERS
These chemicals are used to make plastic more flexible and durable, and are commonly used in screen-printing processes.
Unlike food and beauty, our clothing doesn’t come with an itemised list of ingredients (like synthetic or natural dyes) that have gone into its manufacturing. Instead, these chemicals (many of which are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors) are undisclosed and well hidden within the fabric. This can present a potential danger to our health and the environment, with reported impacts ranging from allergic reactions to respiratory diseases.
Many of these chemicals are still present in our clothes when we buy them, both intentionally and unintentionally. There is no strict global regulation on the use of toxic chemicals in the textile industry, and in many garment producing countries there is little to no regulation at all, so it can be difficult to know just what chemicals are hidden in our clothing. As with beauty, we prefer to know what we are putting on our body, so here are some synthetic chemicals we watch out for:
Synthetic Chemicals to Avoid
AZO dyes are commonly used to colour fabric. According to industry organisation Common Objective, around 60-80% of all fabric colourants in use today are AZO dyes2. They produce a long lasting and vibrant colour, which makes them appealing to manufacturers. However, some AZO dyes release chemicals known as aromatic amines, some of which have been associated with cancer and skin allergies in workers employed in the manufacture of AZO dyes3. Luckily, the EU has restricted the use of AZO dyes that release amines in any textiles that come into contact with human skin.
PHTHALATES AND PLASTICISERS
These chemicals are used to make plastic more flexible and durable, and are commonly used in screen-printing processes.
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