Chemicals in textiles – Risks to human health and the environment

This report is sector specific and was compiled by the Swedish Chemicals Agency. The purpose of the publication is to compile information about risk to human health and the  environment from substances present in textile articles, such as clothing and household textiles. The publication covers information about the chemical management and chemical substances in textiles, possible risk reduction measures on hazardous chemical substances. One chapter is dedicated to the relevant national and EU legislation. In addition, some voluntary initiatives in textile industry are described, such as ECO-labels and Restricted Substances Lists (RSLs). Separate chapter describes  chemical substances used in production of textiles, release and exposure, assessment of risk and controlled and safe use.  The publication provides a comprehensive overview of the literature related to hazardous chemical substances in textile articles, possible health effects of carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances in textile articles.