The Health and Environmental Problems with Clothes Dyes

Do you ever experience occasional headaches? Or, perhaps you’ve had difficulty breathing on occasion? Or, maybe you’ve developed an intermittent skin rash?

Sometimes these things just seem to happen “for no apparent reason” right?

Well, maybe there is always a reason. Things don’t just happen. We might not know the reason, but there’s bound to be one.

In many cases, your clothes could be the culprit.

Your clothes could be causing you health problems and you don’t even know it. Most of today’s clothes have been dyed and/or laminated so that they look good, and continue to do so for many months/years to come. Unfortunately, it is these dyes that cause so many health problems for people around the world. The same dyes cause problems for the natural environment too.

Here’s a look at some of these problems.
Health Problems

Clothing dyes can cause the following health problems:

* skin rashes
* headaches
* trouble concentrating
* nausea
* diarrhea
* fatigue
* muscle and joint pain
* dizziness
* breathing difficulties
* irregular heart beat
* seizures

Furthermore, children can experience the following:

* red cheeks and ears
* dark circles under the eyes
* hyperactivity
* behavioral problems
* learning problems

Because clothing is in constant contact with your skin, the chemicals are absorbed into your skin through your pores. They can then enter your liver, kidney, bones, heart and brain.

Most people have some sort of chemical sensitivity. Some are more sensitive to chemicals than others. Those who are more sensitive will notice the impact of clothing dyes more than others. Those of us who aren’t as sensitive, may still experience some symptoms but just not realize it.
Environmental Problems

The biggest environmental problem with clothing dyes is it’s effect on our waterways – rivers, creeks, oceans, drinking water, etc.

Large amounts of water is needed to flush dyes from garments. Because conventional synthetic dyes contain chemicals, these chemicals are washed away with the water. In theory, the heavy metals and toxins should be removed from the water before it’s returned to the water systems. In practice, this is rarely the case – especially in developing countries where pollution laws/standards are often non-existent.

The result of this, is that the polluted water goes straight into the rivers, creeks, and oceans. Not good for the environment.
A More Eco Friendly Solution?

There are a range of healthier and eco-friendly alternatives when it comes to dying our clothes. Some are better than others. These range from using natural dyes, to “low impact” dyes, to not dying at all!