Are You Wearing Sickening Attire?

The average American has about 13 pounds of chemical toxins entering their body each year. We breath toxins, we drink and eat toxins and we absorb toxins through our skin. Since many of these toxins were never in existence 100 years ago, we have no genetic predisposition to deal with them.

Each year, Americans buy about 22 billion items of clothing and by the way, only about 2% of them are made in the U.S.

What clothes we buy, what clothes we wear and how we clean those clothes can impact what toxins enter, or don't enter into our bloodstream through our skin, as well as what toxins are released into our environment.

In general, clothing pollutes our environment. The clothing industry is second only to the oil industry as far as polluters of our environment.

Many laundry detergents contain toxic chemicals that pollute the water that wash the clothes and can pose a hazard to people with chemical sensitivities. Dry cleaning is also very toxic. Dry cleaning toxins can off-gas for days afterward. Microfibers are also released from your clothes during washing, contributing to declining water quality and destruction of wildlife.

While cotton might seem like an intelligent choice, it can still take more than 5,000 gallons of water to manufacture just one cotton T-shirt and a pair of cotton jeans. Organic cotton is more sustainable, but comprises only about 1% of the cotton grown across the globe.

Ironically, synthetic clothing is not as water-intensive, but all textiles pollute quite a bit during the dying process. Each year, an estimated half a trillion gallons of fresh water is also used in the process of dyeing textiles, putting added strain on declining fresh water supplies.

Flame retardant, water resistant and stain resistant chemicals are found in many garments. When worn against bare skin, these items could be a source of toxic exposure, as well as when they off-gas.

Exposure to these chemicals at a critical point in development may damage the reproductive system, cause deficits in learning, impact memory, reduce motor skills and change behavior. Some have also been identified as carcinogenic.

Tips For a More Sustainable Wardrobe:

1. Organic cotton, organic hemp and/or wool items are better choices. They should ideally be colored with nontoxic, natural dyes when possible. While this will not solve all of the environmental problems related to the garment industry, it's a huge step in the right direction.

2. Instead of toxic detergents, use unscented, nontoxic alternatives. Soap nuts, for example, do a good job of cleaning items that are not heavily soiled. Castile soap or Arm and Hammer Washing Soda are other alternatives.

3. Fabric softeners are typically unnecessary, but if you feel you need, here is a natural alternative from the Kid Feed blog - "In a recycled gallon-sized vinegar jug, add 2 cups baking soda and 2 cups distilled white vinegar. When mixture finishes foaming, add 4 cups of hot water and essential oils (optional) to desired strength. (Try using 20 drops each of lavender and lemon.) Shake before each use, and add about 1 cup for large loads in the rinse cycle."

4. Dry your clothes naturally outdoors, or on indoor drying racks.

5. When using a dryer, skip the dryer sheets. To prevent static cling, remove your clothes from the dryer before they're completely dry. The remaining moisture helps prevent static cling. Then Let your clothes dry fully on a drying rack.

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