ATD-GC/MS Detection of Textile Chemicals in Children’s Clothing

Chemicals used in textiles can sometimes be harmful and may cause skin irritation or allergic reactions. Children are especially vulnerable because their skin is thinner and still developing, making it easier for these substances to affect them. To investigate the occurrence and levels of 50 textile chemicals in children’s skin-close clothing, as well as to investigate the washout effect of these textile chemicals and their tendencies to migrate from the textile fibers into artificial sweat, the screening of 60 children's clothes purchased on the Swedish retail market was performed using coupled automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (ATD-GC/MS). A paper based on this research was published in Contact Dermatitis.¹

Why Are There Chemicals in Fabrics, and Should We Be Concerned About Them?

Textiles can contain a wide mix of chemicals because many are added during manufacturing steps like bleaching, dyeing, softening, and making fabrics more resistant to water or fire. In addition, some unwanted substances and byproducts can also end up in the final product. For example, arylamines can be left behind from the dye-making process even though they don’t serve any purpose in the finished clothing.² It is generally a good idea to try to wash out as many of these chemicals as possible, such as by laundering new clothes. However, earlier research has shown that some substances like quinolines and benzothiazole do not fully wash out of new garments, even after they have been laundered several times.³ In the European Union, rules only limit a relatively small number of harmful chemicals used in textiles. For example, restrictions mainly cover 22 arylamines and certain azo dyes because they are known to be cancer-causing.⁴

What Did the Research Indicate?

The aim of the study discussed here was to investigate children's clothing from the Swedish retail market for the occurrence of 50 textile chemicals, including quinolines, phthalates, halogenated arylamines, nitrobenzenes, and benzothiazole.¹

The researchers reported that among the most frequently occurring chemicals were non-regulated quinolines, halogenated arylamines, phthalates, and nitrobenzenes. The highest concentrations were found for benzyl benzoate, 1400 μg/g, and 2-bromo-4,6-dinitroaniline, 300 μg/g. The highest number and levels of chemicals were detected in garments made of 100% polyester, while the fewest and lowest levels were determined in light-colored cotton. Laundry experiments revealed that cotton garments had the greatest washout effect, whereas most of the chemical content remained in 100% polyester garments even after 10 laundry cycles.¹

“Results indicate,” write the authors of the paper,¹ “a lower exposure from the investigated cotton garments, especially after laundry. On the other hand, cotton exhibited threefold greater chemical migration into artificial sweat than polyester. The strong dependence on fiber material is important to consider when estimating the bioaccessible chemical exposure from garments and related health risks.”

The researchers point out in the paper that their present study concerns only two different types of fibers, and other materials may behave differently. Also, the present study stresses the importance of investigating the migration factors for exposure and risk assessments.¹

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References

1. Dostberg, A.; Åström, T.; Sadiktsis, I. et al. Occurrence and Washout of Health-Hazardous Chemicals in Children's Clothing. Contact Dermatitis 2026. DOI: 10.1111/cod.70170
2. Kawakami, T.; Isama, K.; Nakashima, H. et al. Analysis of Primary Aromatic Amines Originated From Azo Dyes in Commercial Textile Products in Japan. J. Environ. Sci. Health A Tox. Hazard Subst. Environ. Eng. 2010, 45 (10), 1281–1295, DOI: 10.1080/10934529.2010.493827
3. Luongo, G.; Avagyan, R.; Hongyu, R. et al. The Washout Effect During Laundry on Benzothiazole, Benzotriazole, Quinoline, and Their Derivatives in Clothing Textiles. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2016, 23 (3), 2537-2548. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5405-7
4. Commission Regulation (EC) No 552/2009 of 22 June 2009 Amending Regulation (EC) no 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as Regards Annex XVII (Text With EEA Relevance); 2009; Vol. 164, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/552/oj.