Are Your Clothes Harming You?

Chances are, if you look at the garment labels on the clothes you are currently wearing, you will find that the pieces are primarily composed of synthetic fabrics. Synthetic fabrics have quickly become a staple in the fashion and apparel sphere. Many of these fabrics are probably pretty recognizable like polyester, nylon, acrylic, rayon, and spandex, to name a few. Synthetic fabrics are exactly that: they are man-made fabrics that are derived from chemical reactions. The opposite is natural fabrics, which is made from naturally-occurring materials such as animals and plants. While synthetic fabrics can be made whenever and wherever due to the nature of their manufacturing, natural fabrics make use of cultivated and reusable resources so they have been been hailed as a more environmentally-friendly approach to clothing and textiles. Looking at things with the perspective of which fabrics have a less negative net effect on people and the environment, natural fabrics take the cake. What is typically unknown about synthetic fabrics is that they are made of plastic, a material that poses a substantial health risk due to the nature of the material itself as well as the chemicals used during the manufacturing process. Long-term usage of and exposure to synthetic fibers can wreak havoc on human health, largely due to the chemicals that are slowly leached out of the plastic interwoven in the textiles. Many people do not know the health implications associated with long-term synthetic fiber exposure, and companies most definitely do not advertise these facts in their campaigns. We as consumers have to become more aware of the dangers that we face beyond what can be seen with the naked eye.