Tierno had tested underwear, pants, jackets, blouses, and other clothes purchased from chain clothing stores (including both low-end and high-end options). The results have shown that many unsavory compounds are lurking on the “new” clothes, including fecal flora, skin flora, respiratory secretions, and yeast.Of all the tested clothing items, underwear, swimsuits, and other intimate items were the most contaminated. Tierno told ABC News:
“Some garments were grossly contaminated with many organisms … indicating that either many people tried it or … someone tried it on with heavy contamination …In a sense, you are touching somebody’s armpit or groin. So you want to be protected that’s all … You may not come down with anything and, most cases you don’t, but it’s
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For example, the antimicrobial triclosan is sometimes added to fabrics, including clothing items. Some recent studies have shown that triclosan can alter the regulation of hormones and may interfere with fetal development. In addition to this, there are also animal studies which suggest that triclosan may affect fertility.
Furthermore, stain-proof clothes are also full of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), which are both toxic to humans and the environment.
If the clothes you bought is not organic, it is very likely that it has been manufactured from genetically engineered (GE) cotton that was treated with high amounts of pesticides and other harmful chemicals during the production process. According to the Organic Consumers Association (OCA),
“The chemicals used in cotton production don’t end with cultivation. As an aid in harvesting, herbicides are used to defoliate the plants, making picking easier.
Producing a textile from the plants involves more chemicals in the process of bleaching, sizing, dying, straightening, shrink reduction, stain and odor resistance, fireproofing, mothproofing, and static- and