Researchers have discovered that many clothes contain residue chemicals such as synthetic dyes and formaldehyde resin, which could be responsible for rashes, itches, allergies and numerous ailments including cancer. The research also found new clothes often get contaminated with microbes mainly from people trying them on at the shops.According to the study published recently in Wall Street Journal, an anti-wrinkle chemical used to keep new clothes from wrinkling or becoming mildewed during shipping known as formaldehyde, has been linked to rashes and itches. Also, high levels of exposure to formaldehyde have been reported to cause certain type of cancer, according to The United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The researchers conducted a test on new clothes in New Zealand and discovered high levels of formaldehyde resin, up to 900 times the recommended safe level in clothings particularly from China and Southeast Asia. This raises question as to the level of safety of some made-in china clothes.
The report says that during hot weather, the pores are opened up, making it easy for people to absorb these chemicals inside their body.
Professor Belsito, a dermatologist at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York, says dyes can also be a problem with new clothes. According to him, many synthetic fabrics get their hues from azoaniline dyes, which can cause a severe skin reaction in those who are allergic to such dyes.
“Clothing that doesn’t require ironing or is labeled wrinkle-free may even contain perfluorinated chemical (PFC) used to make Teflon. This chemical is known to cause health issues.
The toxic chemicals in new clothes may not produce immediate reactions for most, but the long term accumulation of these toxins added to our polluted air, water, and food can cause numerous health ailments,including cancer”, Professor Belsito says.
He advised that people should wash their new clothes at least twice before wearing them. This, he says, is because a single wash may still leave some of the dye behind, so for people allergic to the chemicals or those with compromised immunity, it is important to wash new clothes before wearing them.
“Until much of the dye is rinsed out, some wearers might notice red, itchy, scaly rashes especially near the areas where there is friction or sweating, like the waist, neck and thighs and around the armpits,” he says, adding that new clothes could also harbour bugs and insects left by people who have tried them on in the stores.
“I have seen cases of lice that were possibly transmitted from trying on in the store, and there are certain infectious diseases that can be passed on through clothing.
Lice don’t stay long without a host, but they tend to attach better to natural fibres than synthetics. The other infestation I’ve seen from clothing is scabies”, he says.
Again, Dr. Philip Tierno, director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Langone Medical Center, tested new clothing from three stores, upscale and otherwise, and found them populated with all manner of bacteria, including those associated with feaces, armpits and the vagina. The volume of bacteria in some instances suggested that the item of clothing had been tried on by many shoppers or even taken home, worn and returned to the store.
“On some clothes we discovered evidence of faeces, skin flora and respiratory secretions, especially in the armpit and close to the buttocks.
“Most people are unaware and think that they can’t really catch anything from these clothes because they are dry, they are on the rack and they are new. They are not realizing that numerous individuals try them on and contact certain parts of their body that may transmit potential pathogens”, he says.
In order to protect yourself from harmful bacteria, Tierno recommends washing your new clothes or running them through one cycle in a hot dryer before wearing them. Also, the researcher suggests wearing clothes underneath while trying on new clothes and washing your hands after shopping
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