You've likely heard about toxins and chemicals coating children's pajamas. And if you haven't, that is something you definitely want to look out for. The flame retardants that are often found in pajamas are not good for you or your kids. But there are a lot of other chemicals in linens and in clothes that we need to watch out for.
If you've listened before, then you know I often suggest switching out laundry detergent and your laundry routine first because we wear our clothes all day long. They rub on our skin, we sleep in our sheets at night, we lay our head on our pillows and all of those chemicals really do have the chance to permeate our skin and get into our bloodstream. That's why it's so important to think about the toxins in fabrics.
Toxins in clothes! What to look for in fabrics, clothes, and linens to choose green and healthy fabrics
These chemicals are commonly found in fabric.
Glyphosate Glyphosate is in Roundup, and it's heavily sprayed on conventional cotton. So why is glyphosate bad? It's a carcinogen and it’s potentially linked to autism.
Chlorine Bleach We also know that many natural fibers are grown and sprayed with chlorine bleach to help whiten and remove stains. And chlorine bleach isn’t great because it is linked with asthma and respiratory problems.
Formaldehyde Another carcinogen that we often find in natural fabrics is formaldehyde. It is often used to make things wrinkle free, stop shrinking, and to help dyes and prints become more vibrant.
VOCs Volatile organic compounds. Unfortunately, VOCs off-gas, which means that they can continue to put the chemicals out into the air around this product. VOCs are really horrible for the people who are working in the factories that are making clothes and linens. They can cause developmental and reproductive system damage. They can irritate the skin and eyes, and they can cause liver and respiratory problems. Some of these VOCs are carcinogens as well. You will often find VOCs in finished textiles, especially prints in both natural and synthetic fabrics.
PFCs Another carcinogen. These create a durable water resistance in clothing and shoes, making them more stain repellent. You'll find PFCs, perfluoroalkyl chemicals, in printed textiles made of natural or synthetic fabrics.
Ammonia Ammonia is also often found in fabrics because it can help things not shrink, usually in natural fabrics, because those are the ones that actually shrink. Ammonia can be absorbed into the lungs, and it can burn your eyes, nose, and throat.
Heavy Metals Lead, chromium, and cadmium are found in clothes, and those are often used for dyeing, like leather or polyester. Heavy metals are highly toxic. I have done other podcast episodes about heavy metals in products, and they can cause DNA and reproductive issues. They can damage your blood cells, kidney, liver, and they also cause some major environmental damage.
Phthalates The printing inks and the processes for creating those printed images can often include phthalates. Phthalates, as we know, are an endocrine disruptor. And I have other episodes about endocrine disruptors if you're curious about them. But basically, an endocrine disruptor means that it messes with our hormone system. And our hormone system runs our entire body, it runs all of our organs in our body. So endocrine disruptors are especially bad because they can be linked with messing up the systems of the body, which can lead to cancer.
Flame Retardants They are required on some children's clothing. They help the clothes stop burning. But unfortunately, these flame retardants are neurotoxins, they are endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and they build up in our bodies over time, or what is called bio accumulation. Instead of children’s pajamas with flame retardants, look for tighter fitting pajamas. Tight fighting clothing is naturally more flame retardant and doesn’t need to be coated with chemicals.
Not only bad for you, but terrible for the environment and humanity
Fast fashion is a huge industry. We want new looks and we want them now. This western demand has a horrible impact on our environment and also the people that are making these clothes in the manufacturing plant. If you don't know very much about fast fashion, I highly encourage you to do a little bit of research and learn a bit more about fast fashion and why we should be avoiding buying stuff that's just simply cheap or new or different.
Choosing organic, just like when we shop for vegetables is really important for clothes too. You can look for Oeko-Tex, or Cradle to Cradle certified products. These are all fabrics and textiles to look for when shopping.
It's so important not only for our health, but also because these chemicals impact the earth. Everytime we wash clothing that has been coated in these toxic chemicals, it's going into our water system. And for many of these they're sticking around in our environment for awhile. Going organic is definitely important.
Organic Cotton really is worth it. You may not know this, but organic cotton is grown GMO free. They do not treat it with any sort of fungicide or synthetic pesticide or fertilizer. But get this! Organic cotton uses 71% less water and 62% less energy to produce than conventional cotton. Crazy. Another eye opening fact about conventional cotton is that it's only 3% of the world's agriculture, but it accounts for 25% of the most harmful insecticides and 10% of the most toxic pesticides used on the planet.
Fleece is a popular fabric, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. It is a synthetic fabric that is made up of plastics. When you wash your fleece items, whether it's a sweatshirt or a jacket, microplastics come off of the fleece and they get into our water system. And as you may know, microplastics are a really big issue in our water system.
We need clothing so what should we be shopping for?
Buy vintage- This keeps clothing out of the landfill and used clothing has been through several washes to help remove a lot of the toxic chemicals that may be lurking
Buy Organic- Look for natural fabrics like bamboo and organic cotton. Avoid bright prints and logos
Wash everything- This is a no brainer. Anytime you buy new clothing, send it through the wash (with toxin-free detergent of course!) before it touches your skin.
I know this is overwhelming, just like a lot of the topics I bring up here on the podcast. But just like anything else, simply making one small change will make a difference. So the next time you go to buy a piece of clothing, just think about it. Think about where it was made. Think about the kind of fabric it's made with. Think about the lifespan of it. Are you thinking about having it for one event or are you going to have it for a really long time. This really doesn't have to be overwhelming. It just means choosing better - trying to be a little better with each small decision and they add up to a big impact.
