Women and Chemicals

Where are women exposed to chemicals?
may be present in the final products, whether intentionally or
not. It is difficult to fully assess the mixture of chemicals used in
textiles, since there is no mandatory full disclosure of ingredients
and treatments, like methods for dying or weaving. The complex
fabrication is not comprehensible for consumers.
Commonly used synthetic fibres are polyester, microfibers,
rayon, and lyocell. Rayon and lyocell consist of natural raw material
(wood cellulose and bamboo), which is synthetically modified
during the treatment. Polyester is based on polyethylene
terephthalate (PET). Micro fibres and polar fleece is also made of
PET or polyamide. To make them waterproof, some textiles are
treated with perfluorinated compounds that are harmful to humans
and the environment.
Inevitably, our clothing is in close and continuous contact
with our skin. There are justifiable concerns about what
kind of chemicals can be found within these most intimate of
products.
Many countries regulate the contamination of textiles
with hazardous chemicals. However, this regulation does not
cover all hazardous substances by far. In most cases consumers
do not know if the clothes or textiles they buy are contaminated
with hazardous chemicals. Not only do the public lack
this information, but also the regulators are not aware of most
chemical ingredients in textiles, as there is no obligation for labelling
or full disclosure of used chemicals by manufacturers.
The UNEP multi-stakeholder project “Chemicals in Products”
under SAICM tries to find solutions to that problem. 6 However,
it is a voluntary approach and depends to some extent on the
good will of companies. Some companies already aim for more
transparency and have adopted a code of conduct for their
production process and their products. H&M provides a list of
chemicals that they banned in their products. 7 The Adidas
Group recently announced that they plan to be 90 per cent PFC
free as of 31 December 2017. 8
Hazardous chemicals in clothes are not only harmful for
people wearing them, but also for people working in the pro-
duction process. Most of them are women. And harmful chemicals
used in the production process are also harmful to the environment,
as water and soil become polluted. People living close
to polluted sites or polluted rivers and water systems are yet
again exposed to those hazardous chemicals.
Chemicals in cosmetics
Women all over the world apply cosmetics to look better,
make their skin smoother, straighten or curl their hair, and for
daily body care. Surveys show that women are significantly greater
users than men of personal care products, including soaps,
cosmetics, lotions and the like. For example, a study by the Campaign
for Safe Cosmetics indicates that women use an average of
Typical chemicals in textiles
Harmful chemicals Use Possible health effects
Nonylphenol, nonylphenolethoxilate Surfactants Persistent, bioaccumulative, PBT,
disrupts the hormone system
Azo dyes and heavy metals
Phthalates
(DBP, DINP, DIDP, DNOP etc)
Part of ink, prints, dyes, in buttons and
zippers
Inks and coated prints
Some are carcinogenic and trigger allergies
Hormone disrupting, toxic for reproduction
Formaldehyde Anti-wrinkle treatment Carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic for reproduction
Triclosan, Triclocarban Anti-bacterial treatment Very toxic to aquatic life, disrupts the hormone system
Silver nanoparticles Anti-bacterial treatment Toxic for cells, persistent in environment
and organisms
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