Toxic Fabrics - Are your clothes killing you?

Toxic fabrics. Now why are we talking about this? Well there is no doubt you are very aware of what is safe food for you to buy for your children, yourself and your family. But have you ever considered how safe the clothes are you buy for yourself, your children and your family? Let's look at this very important issue and yo maybe surprised. The big problem is us. Because as customers we always seem to get what we ask for. Whether it's the dye colours we put in our fabrics. Whethere they're colour fast so they don't run. The printing that's placed on the fabrics. We want or fabrics to be anti-static, anti-fngal, anti-bacterial. We don't want them to shrink. For our children's clothes especially we want them to be fire retardant. We want them to resist wrinkling if at all possible so there is little or no ironing. We want them to resist odors and we want them to be soft. But remember many of these features requires the use of dangerous toxic chemical additives. And that's what this presentation is all about. The issue of chemicals in fabrics is quite controversial. And yes there are chemicals that are quite safe. But we just want you to be aware of the modern fabric treatments so you can make up your own mind. These treatments include detergents. Petrochemical colour dyes and mordants or colour fixatives. The use of formaldehyde to prevent shrinkage in fabrics. Think Teflon coated pots- it's the same thing. Desizing. This is especially for fabrics made from cotton or blends. The warp threads are coated with an adhesive substanceknown as "size" This is done to prevent the threads from breaking down during weaving. Now normally starch is the most common sizing agent. And after the weaving the size is removed again in order to prepare the fabric for dyeing and finishing. This is the "de-sizing" process. And it's done by treating the fabric with chemicals such as acids or oxidizing agents. Dioxen producing bleaches are another fabric treatment. And chemical fabric softeners. Chemicals, many of them, are toxic to the human body and may contain heavy metals that also pollute our environment. So it's very worth while bearing these things in mind. As a customer your demands for greater convenience with fabrics that are anti-static, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, don't shrink, are wrinkle resistant, odor free etc. These can and WILL effect your health. Just be aware of that. There is a widespread asnd increasing use of chemicals in texile manufacturing to achieve precisely those things we are asking for as customers. So they want to give you what you want. But the question is: Is it worth the risk? So how do these chemicals enter our body? 3 basic ways. The main one, number 1, skin absorption. Because the most part of our body exposed to fabrics is via the skin. Secondly inhaling evaporating chemicals. And thirdly by breathing in or injesting microscopic chemical particles just like dust particles in the air. All these 3 things combine to make it fairly easy for chemicals to enter our bodies. Quite often people purchase inexpensive clothing which are discarded frequently to change an entire wardrobe. And manufacturers give us exactly what we demand which means using inferior short staple cotton or synthetic materials in order to keep the prices down. But these very materials require chemical procesees and finishes to make them presentatable. The chemical used in textiles are dangerous. And some people are much more chemically sensitive than others. But just be aware of the possibilities if you are in any way, or your children or anyone in your family has a sensitivity to chemicals. Because these are some of the options that can happen: Skin rashes and lesions. Contact dermatitis. Very common. Nausea, diarrhea and fatigue. Muscle and joint pain. Dizziness. Learning difficulties especially with children. Breathing difficulties, heart seizures an even some carcinogenic issues. Now I know that not everyone is chemically sensitve. But why take the risk? So bearing in mind the potential danger of toxic chemicals in fabrics here are the top 6 fabrics to avoid if anyone in your family, even your little ones are at all sensitive ot any chemicals. Avoid these at all costs. Polyster, acrylics, rayon, acetate and triacetates, nylon, and any fabric that claims to be static or wrinkle resistant, permanent press, stain-proof, anti-fungal or anti- bacterial, moth or fire repellant. Avoid these if at all possible if you are not completely sure whether in fact the person to wear them is sensitive to chemicals or not. It's better to be safe, pay a little bit more then to be very sorry. There is a simple way to avoid the real problem of toxic chemicals in fabrics. Especially if you or anyone in your family has any form of sensitivity to chemicals of any nature. Look for natural fibers with no additives. Handmade silk, especially handmade silk that uses natural dyes is a great example. Sure it's a little more expensive than the synthetic type materials but it will last you a lifetime and it's safe for everyone in your family. Organic cotton is another. Linen, hemp, wool, cashmere, alpaca, mohair. All these natural fibers should be safe for you and your family. BUT check. Make sure that even these natural fibers have not had any chemical applied in their processing or finishing. If they haven't then they are safe for you and everyone in your family. I hope you found this of interest. Thank you for listening.