In the 1970s, U.S. Congress required flame retardants to be added to children’s pajamas to protect them in case of fire. These were the days before smoke detectors were required in bedrooms (now required per a1993年国家消防协会法典),但是当使用的化学物质(2,3-二纤维丙基)磷酸盐是一种诱变剂, a gene-altering agent, consumers called for action, and the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission soon prohibited it.
但这只是一种单一的有毒化学物质:现代纺织工业继续广泛依靠未公开的化学物质来改善织物和服装的性能特征。2018年12月,环境研究中心的一项研究发现,生态中心发现83%的儿童汽车座椅测试含有用作阻燃剂的有毒化学物质。即便是国家环境健康科学研究所认识到许多燃烧性化学物质“与动物和人类的不良健康影响有关”,例如内分泌和甲状腺破坏或对免疫系统的影响。
根据化学公司收集的研究的白皮书自然发展, more than 150 chemicals are now regularly used to enhance fabric characteristics, offering everything from a softer feel to faster moisture wicking, wrinkle resistance, improved water repellency, and better color vibrancy. As consumers’ demands for cheaper yet high-performing textiles grow, companies and mills respond by coating fabrics in chemicals that meet standards as a quick fix.
But while some of these chemicals are also demonstrated carcinogens, or capable of reproductive, nervous, and endocrine system dysregulation, others are allergenic or irritating. Even when we wash the fabric and the chemicals are eventually removed, they linger on our non-laundered fabrics (like our sofa or curtains) or get into our water systems after washing. Many of them do not easily degrade, and the compounds build up in the environment and affect animal life.因此,尽管无塑料或切换到纺织品中的再生塑料是服装行业的重要任务(这是Everlane或女友集体等服装公司的核心重点),但它无法解决化学问题。格雷格·奥特曼(Greg Altman)是由大自然的首席执行官兼联合创始人及其联合创始人丽贝卡·拉特(Rebecca Lacouture)进化而来的,他担心我们的身体如何吸收我们穿着和触摸的化学物质,以及如何影响整个公共卫生。
The solution the company developed is what they call “Activated Silk,” a natural alternative to the current petrochemical finishes that can be used for a variety of performance-enhancing needs, like moisture wicking and color retention. It’s made from silkworm cocoons discarded by the textile industry, water, and salt.
迄今为止,自然发展的已经筹集了5100万美元,包括卡夫集团,罗伊·P·迪斯尼和杰弗里·维尼克。该公司表示,激活的丝绸对现有化学物质具有成本竞争力,并且可以直接采用,因为它不需要破坏公司现有的制造工艺或设备。目前,活性丝在两个护肤品牌中作为成分可用,Silk Therapeutics and LabGrab,自然而然地说,它目前正在与一系列未公开的时尚和个人护理品牌合作,以使其技术在2019年下半年提供。
自然而然地,白皮书中进化出来的是,我们对长期暴露的影响几乎没有理解,因为典型的毒理学测试方案通常评估较短时期的较高剂量。由于一项典型的暴露是如此低剂量,因此监管机构可能不会将测试视为优先级,因此尚未对健康风险进行充分的研究。因此,尽管一件服装的化学剂量可能很小,但我们还需要考虑床单,汽车座椅,室内装饰,配件和毛巾的累积暴露。
“The health risk is that we as a human body, as a human vessel, are starting to accumulate foreign chemistry that is causing human biology to now co-evolve in ways that we’ve never asked human biology to do before,” Altman says.
他认为每天穿瑜伽裤会在20年内给您带来癌症,但他和他的公司在假设不冒险的情况下更聪明。取而代之的是,他指出,我们将看到大量的人口影响,例如男孩和女孩的早期青春期,或激素和生育能力因内分泌干扰而变化。“如果您知道自己正在接受外交化学,它正在进入人体,我们应该避免这种暴露。那是最安全的路线。”他说。