“You might not know it, but you’re probably wearing some form of plastic right now. In fact, nearly two-thirds of our garments are made from synthetics such as polyester, nylon, acrylic and elastane – all materials that are derived from fossil fuels, release microplastics into the environment, and don’t biodegrade, taking hundreds of years to break down.”

“The production of synthetic fibers, which can shed fibrous microplastics easily through mechanical abrasion and weathering, is increasing annually. These fibrous microplastics have become the main composition of microplastics in the environment.”

“While most shoppers in the Western world believe that the problem of toxic fashion pollution is an issue in developing countries, those same toxic chemicals are being applied – sometimes deliberately and sometimes through sloppy contamination – to our clothing and accessories. In many cases, these toxic substances stay on our garments all the way to our closets.”

“The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has concluded that formaldehyde is "carcinogenic to humans" based on sufficient evidence it can cause nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia.

“Workout clothes, like sport bras and leggings, are designed to fit tightly—directly against our skin. The close contact could increase the chances of harmful chemicals getting into our bodies. Plus, we probably sweat in workout gear more than we do in any other kind of clothing—preliminary data suggest that sweat may increase the chances of microplastics and toxic chemicals moving through the skin into the body.”

“In male animals, BPA treatment decreased the weights of prostate, testes, epididymal and seminal vesicle, and also decreased levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone, and sperm counts ... These substances are thought to cause adverse effects on development or function of reproductive organs by binding to hormone receptors as androgen or estrogen mimics.”

“Male reproductive health has declined as indicated by increasing rates of cryptorchidism, i.e., undescended testis, poor semen quality, low serum testosterone level, and testicular cancer. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been proposed to have a role in this finding. ”

“Microfibers, plastic foams, and microbeads are widely used in clothing, food containers, and toiletries, enhancing the risks of personal exposure to microplastics ... The toxicity of microplastics on microstructures including lysosomes, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and the nucleus further revealed the potential risks of microplastics on human health at the cellular levels.”

“The textile industry is one of the most polluting industrial sectors, being responsible of the release of a wide variety of chemical pollutants into the environment ... In recent years, there has been an increasing trend to use new chemical additives in clothing in the textile industry. Most of these substances are intentionally added to provide additional properties to textile materials, improving their elasticity and breathability ... Overall, prenatal and postnatal periods are probably critical windows susceptible to environmental chemical exposure.”

“The overwhelming majority of the losses of primary microplastics (98%) are generated from landbased activities. Only 2% is generated from activities at sea. The largest proportion of these particles stem from the laundering of synthetic textiles.”

“So of course, you have dyes ... You also have performance finishes. So you have stain-proof finishes, waterproofing finishes. You also have easy-care, anti-wrinkle finishes. You have finishes that just make it feel soft. And then you have just processing chemicals that make it softer or get it slippery enough or strong enough to be dyed or sewn or all those different things, and then those chemicals are stripped off by other chemicals. And then you can have contaminating chemicals ... So there are thousands of chemicals that could be in or on or put on our fashion.”

“Results indicate that benzothiazole can be released from textile materials, penetrate through the skin, and further enter the human body. This will possibly also apply to other chemical contaminants in textiles, and the results of this study indicate that the presence of these textile contaminants entails potential health risks.”

“The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) sent legal notices to eight additional brands whose leggings, shorts, sports bras, and athletic shirts after testing showed the clothing could expose individuals to up to 40 times the safe limit of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), according to California law. The new brands include: -leggings from Athleta, Champion, Kohl’s, Nike, Patagonia -sports bras from Sweaty Betty -athletic shirts from Fabletics -shorts from Adidas, Champion, Nike.”

“Elevated blood levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), a specific type of PFAS, was associated with higher risk of developing testicular cancer ... Results from this study suggested that PFOS and PFOA may be differentially associated with risk of breast cancer subtypes ... Higher kidney cancer incidence and mortality have been observed among individuals with high PFOA exposures.”

“According to a study published in Environment International, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) including makeup and school uniforms, are absorbed at levels ranging from 13% - 60% through skin.”

“The skin is the largest organ of the body ... Not only does skin exposure have the potential to contribute to total body burden of a chemical but also the skin is a highly biologically active organ capable of chemical metabolism and the initiation of a cascade of immunological events, potentially leading to adverse outcomes in other organ systems.”

“Use of pesticides is widespread in several different industries and exposure presents a significant health risk to workers involved in the end use of pesticides. The majority of pesticide absorbed into the body comes from dermal exposure.”

“This doesn’t mean that every chemical is bad. Maybe it’s harmless. But if we can’t match a name to a chemical structure, it means that the data is not out there. So you can’t say it’s not safe, but you also can’t say it is safe.”

“In older times, most of the fabrics used were made from the fibers that were derived from natural sources like cotton, wool, silk and jute. Those fibers were traditional, eco-friendly and non-toxic to wear by any means. But now a day’s many fabrics used in draperies, bedding, automobile furnishing, offices, schools and hospitals are made from synthetic fibers ... These are highly toxic and are increasing the negative effects on our health.”

“Your favorite sports bra or well-worn pair of leggings is likely to be made from synthetic fabrics like Spandex, nylon and polyester, all of which are essentially plastics. These materials are made from petrochemicals and are often formulated with harmful chemical additives like phthalates and bisphenols. Now, new research shows sweat leaches chemical additives from plastics and those chemicals are then available to be absorbed through our skin."