I'm mindful of the problem because (cancer concerns aside) I'm  sensitive to a wide range of chemicals -- including those found in some  types of cloth. A few years ago I bought a beautiful set of sheets from a  fancy store.  The label said they were100 percent cotton, but after  sleeping in them a few nights I was in bone and muscle pain from head to  toe.  Repeated washings didn't get out whatever the offending substance  was.
 I got a terrible reaction from the dyes or maybe the chemicals used  to make those all-cotton sheets "no-iron".  You can only imagine what  true synthetic cloth can do to us. It's largely a product of the oil  industry.
 The Toxins Lurking in Your Clothing...
 We have the illusion that clothes made from synthetic fibers are  safe, but the materials are in fact full of  invisible chemicals the  clothing industry prefers we don't think about.
 A hundred years ago, clothing was made of natural fibers like cotton,  flax, wool, and silk.  In the early 1900s synthetics were developed.
 Although rayon was introduced in 1924, the first truly synthetic  fiber was nylon, made by DuPont from the petro-molecule toluene.  Nylon  because a popular material for women's panty hose.
 Other synthetics followed:
 - Acrylic (1950), aka, "wash-and-wear" fabrics — a "revolutionary time-saving leap" for homemakers. 
- Polyester (1953), "wrinkle free" fabrics developed from xylene and ethylene.
- Spandex and olefin (1959), which became the  mainstay of sportswear, swim suits, and thermal underwear. Olefin is  produced by "cracking" petroleum molecules into propylene and ethylene  gases.
Today's clothing (a $7 trillion/year industry) is manufactured using an astounding 8,000 synthetic chemicals. 
 Nowadays, clothes also contain toxins like formaldehyde, brominated  flame retardants, and perfluorinated chemicals (Teflon) to provide  "non-iron" and "non-wrinkle" qualities. Insecticides are even applied in  the name of good health!
 For half a century, skin and chemicals have been interacting…  creating problems like infertility, respiratory diseases, contact  dermatitis, and cancer.
 The more synthetic clothing you wear, the greater your risk of absorbing toxic chemicals that harm your health.
 The Problems with Synthetics…
 When toxins are absorbed through your skin — your largest organ —  they bypass your liver, the organ responsible for removing toxins.
 You also may not realize that your skin keeps you healthy by venting toxins… up to a pound per day.
 Petrochemical fibers restrict and suffocate your skin — shutting down  toxic release. Meanwhile, they contribute to your total toxic burden  and may become the "tipping point" for triggering the onset of disease.
 Two contributing factors are (1) toxic buildup in your body and (2)  multiple chemicals that interact together to create even worse problems  than the individual chemicals by themselves.
 Skin rashes, nausea, fatigue, burning, itching, headaches, and  difficulty breathing are all associated with chemical sensitivity. If  you have mysterious health symptoms that you can't seem to get control  over, it's worth checking out whether your clothes could be the problem.
 The Chemicals You Wear Every Day…
 With a "mere" 8,000 chemicals used in clothing manufacture, it's a sure bet you're wearing many as you read this. Let's highlight some of the worst.
 These kinds of fabric finishes "scream" chemicals...
 - Easy Care — Wrinkle free, shrinkage free garments release formaldehyde.
- Water Repellent — Fluoropolymers (as in Teflon) are used to repel oil and water
- Flame Retardants 
- Bacterial and fungicidal chemicals — Triclosan and nano-particles are used for this.
Formaldehyde is linked to a 30% increase in lung  cancer, plus skin/lung irritation and contact dermatitis. It is found in  fabrics claiming to be:
 - Anti-cling, anti-static, anti-shrink
- Waterproof
- Perspiration-proof
- Moth-proof and mildew resistant
- Chorine resistant 
It's also used in dyes and printing to fix the design and prevent "running".
 Most governments restrict formaldehyde levels in clothing… but not  the U.S. One of the worst offenders is China.  Beware of "Made in China"  labels.
 Use of formaldehyde in clothing is extremely widespread. There have  even been lawsuits alleging high levels of it in Victoria's Secret bras.
 High temps and humidity make "poison clothes" even worse — they open your pores and increase chemical absorption.
 And you absorb formaldehyde from multiple sources daily, so don't be fooled by manufacturers' reassurances.
 Disperse Blue Dyes may look gorgeous — even regal — but  they put you at high risk for contact dermatitis… especially dark blue,  brown, and black synthetic clothing. It's important to note —  laundering does not reverse that risk.
 Worse… Disperse Blue 1 is classified as a human carcinogen due to high malignant tumor levels in lab animals.
 Incidentally, you might be interested to know that this dye also shows up in cosmetics and semi-permanent hair dyes.
 Fire and burn hazards: The Marine Corps now prohibits  troops in Iraq from wearing synthetic clothing while off base… after too  many unfortunate burns from soldiers wearing polyester, acrylic, and  nylon — which readily melts in high heat and fuses to the skin.  (Dudes,  what did you expect?  The stuff is a first cousin to plastic.  Both are  products of the oil industry.) 
 Of course, that begs the question of whether flame retardants are safer…
 Flame Retardant use began in 1971, when government  required children's sleepwear to be self-extinguishing.  The solution  was to add brominated Tris.
 Studies measuring urine samples showed that this chemical is readily absorbed.
 Brominated Tris is a mutagen, and causes cancer and sterility in animals. (Mutagens cause inheritable mutations by damaging DNA.) They also cause testicular atrophy and sterility.
 Tris was banned in children's clothing in 1977 (but lives on in  upholstered furniture foam, baby carriers, and bassinets). Today most  synthetic fabrics contain a new generation of flame retardants bonded  into the fabric, which must survive 50+ washings.
 According to the  U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's National  Burn Center, only 36 children a year suffer serious injuries from  sleepwear catching fire. My heart goes out to these tragic victims and  their families.   But is the toxic contamination of millions of children  worth protecting 36 children per year from burns?
 This sort of regulation is a product of the "precautionary principle"  — the notion that there should be no limit to the amount of money spent  or the amount of inconvenience inflicted on millions of people when it  comes to preventing rare dangers that affect a tiny number of people.  The mania for making our society risk-proof and accident-proof actually  increases danger in many cases.
 The Consumer Product Safety Commission exempts certain sleepwear from  flammability standards. Two companies selling kids' sleepwear without  flame retardants are L.L. Bean and Lands' End.
 But it's not just children's sleepwear…
 Demand is high for fire-retardant uniforms and civilian clothing.
 Lab studies show that flame retardants (PBDEs) can cause a slew of  health issues — thyroid problems, brain damage, ADHD symptoms, and  fertility problems.
 The insecticide permethrin is now in civilian outdoor  wear and military uniforms even though no long-term studies have  assessed its safety. We wrote about this dangerous chemical in Issue  #89.  You can see it at www.cancerdefeatedpublications.com/newsletters.
 Silver nanoparticles in name-brand clothing create anti-odor, anti-wrinkle, and anti-stain clothes.
 "Nano" means "really tiny"… super-microscopic.
 Nano-particles in clothing can create easily absorbed toxins that,  due to their miniscule size, are transported into all your organs,  including your brain… consequences unknown.
 Other scary toxins include sulfuric acid, urea resin, sulfonamides, halogens, and sodium hydroxide.
 The Health Hazards of Built-Up Electrical Charges…
 Electrostatic charges accumulate in synthetic clothing. There are  stories of shocking mini-explosions from mixing layers of synthetic  clothing with synthetic carpeting.
 And get this: synthetic undergarments contribute to infertility in men.
 A 24-month study of male dogs wearing either loose-fitting polyester  underpants or loose-fitting cotton ones showed that wearing polyester  created significant decreases in sperm count and degeneration of the  testes. The animals wearing cotton suffered no side effects. (And,  please, no letters to the editor about dogs wearing underwear. I agree,  it sounds silly.) 
 Scientists think polyester traps body heat, encourages chemical  absorption, and creates electrostatic build-up… which all affect sperm  count.
 Is Tight Fitting Clothing a Problem?
 The short answer is "yes".
 We recently ran an article on the risks of wearing bras, especially tight ones (Issue #65).
 Probably the most unsafe clothing item ever introduced in the name of  fashion was the corset. It squeezed women's bodies and crushed their  internal organs to the point of broken ribs.
 Today, some scientists believe restrictive bras suppress the  lymphatic system — which flushes toxins from your breasts and lymph  nodes and helps prevent breast cancer.
 Anna Maria Clement and Brian R. Clement, co-authors of the book Killer Clothes, recommend limiting bra usage as much as possible.
 Your shoes might also fit the category of tight clothing. A 2009 survey of 2,000 people found that 40% of women buy and wear uncomfortable shoes to make a fashion statement. By contrast, just 17% of men did likewise.
 Synthetics Hurt Athletic Outcomes…
 Despite the wide appeal of synthetic athletic apparel, medical studies show that synthetic fibers cause muscle fatigue — which can mean the difference between winning and losing for competitive athletes.
 In a study of 24— to 27-year-old men, natural linen long sleeved  shirts were worn for five hours --  and then polyester ones were worn  for another five hours. Their arms were monitored during both, with  electrodes measuring skin temperature and velocity of the men's muscle  tissue.1 
 No changes were measured when they wore the linen. But when they donned polyester they endured a range of muscle disruptions… 
 The Bottom Line…
 It's important to realize that while individual chemicals might not endanger your health, the synergistic effect of multiple chemicals interacting can have unpredictable negative effects.
 Natural and organic clothing is becoming more popular again. But it  can still be a challenge to find it, and you may have to piece together  items from multiple suppliers. Here's empowerment for the process…
 Priority #1 — Choose natural fibers.
 - Cotton — preferably organic. It still remains the "king" of textiles. Organic accounts for less than 1% of worldwide production. 
- Flax — one of nature's strongest fibers. 
- Hemp — grows without any need for  fungicides, herbicides, or pesticides because it's naturally  insect-resistant. Its fibers are reported to be four times stronger than  cotton. This is NOT the hemp known for its mind-altering properties!
- Silk — known as the "queen of fabrics". Watch out for the use of synthetic dyes in silk.
- Wool — most of today's wool is  contaminated with chemicals, i.e., pesticides used to kill parasites.  But organic wool is becoming more common. 
- Other — alpaca, angora, camel, cashmere, mohair, ramie, aluyot. 
Incidentally, the Organic Trade Association estimates that one  non-organic cotton T-shirt uses one-third pound of pesticides and  fertilizers. Cotton production uses one-fourth of all the world's  fertilizers.2  It's another good reason to choose organic cotton to add to the ones above.
 Here are some sources to get you started in your search for healthier clothes.
 - Hempest.com
- Patagonia (small line of organic clothing)
- Ecowise.com
- Fairindigo.com
- Faeriesdance.com
- Kasperorganics.com
- Juteandjackfruit.com
Start small… Choose organic for clothing closest to your skin most of  the time — underwear, sleepwear, camisoles, and the like… and then  build as you replace items in your closet. Move in a healthier direction  with your clothing to drastically reduce your chemical load.
 Kindest regards,
  
Lee Euler,
Publisher