Toxic Fabrics

The 6 Most Dangerous Fabrics

Have you been so focused on avoiding the harmful chemicals lurking in processed foods you've forgotten about the toxic fabrics that you may be wearing on your body or the ones covering you while you sleep?

It's not surprising the "forest" of health habits you navigate to stay healthy would obscure your view of the even-more-obvious "trees," meaning the fabrics that cover you and your family 24/7.

We'll give you a few seconds to administer a headslap with the appropriate gentle force…

The problem with most conventionally produced fabrics: All the harmful chemical additives they contain that allow for the manufacture of clothes, bedding and furniture that promote consumer convenience at the expense of your health.

Chemical Imbalance

For example, the perfluorinated chemicals used to make Teflon that coat pots and pans can also be found on many fabrics used to mass-produce clothes that resist wrinkling and require no ironing.

Or, the health-harming formaldehyde that's often used to prevent fabrics from shrinking or catching on fire (think about the fire retardants used all to often to make pajamas for small children).

This doesn't even take into account the environmental damage and greenhouse gases produced when petrochemical components are broken down to make nylon and polyester.

The fabrics you'll want to avoid in order to protect your health at all costs:

• Acetate
• Acrylic
• Nylon
• Polyester
• Rayon
• Triacetate
• Any materials promoted as permanent press, stain-proof or static or wrinkle-resistant

The Healthy Fabrics

Just as important to your health as knowing which toxic fabrics to stay away from is identifying the safer, natural, organic kinds of fabrics that tend to breathe better, transfer moisture (also known as wicking) more easily and are produced with or contain little to no chemicals.

You'll want to focus on clothes and bed coverings made from organic fabrics like wool, silk, hemp or cotton. One caveat: Not all cotton is safe for your health, thanks to exposure to defoliants, pesticides and insecticides.

If you're more concerned than ever about the stuff you cover your body with, particularly in a place you spend most of your nights, see  ...

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