(October 23, 2015) Thousands
of chemicals are used in clothes manufacturing. Researchers at Stockholm
University have examined if there are chemicals in the clothes we buy as well.
Several substances related to health risks were identified and not even organic
cotton was a guarantee for non-toxic textiles.
In a new thesis 60 garments from Swedish and international
clothing chains have been tested. An initial analysis found thousands of
chemicals in the clothes and around a hundred chemicals were preliminary
identified. Several of the substances were not on the producers’ lists and are
suspected to be by-products, residues or chemicals added during transport.
“Exposure to these chemicals increases the risk of allergic
dermatitis, but more severe health effect for humans as well as the environment
could possibly be related to these chemicals. Some of them are suspected or
proved carcinogens and some have aquatic toxicity”, says Giovanna Luongo, PhD
in Analytical Chemistry at Stockholm University.
Depending on occurrence, quantity, toxicity and how easily
they may penetrate the skin, four groups of substances were chosen for further
analysis. The highest concentrations of two of these, quinolines and aromatic
amines, were found in polyester. Cotton contained high concentrations of benzothiazoles,
even clothes made from organic cotton.
The researchers washed the clothes and then measured the
levels of chemicals. Some of the substances were washed off, with a risk of
ending up in aquatic environments. Others remained to a high degree in the
clothes, becoming a potential source of long-term dermal exposure. It is
difficult to know if the levels of these harmful substances are hazardous, and
what effects chemicals in our clothes can have in the long run.