Survey of Selected Allergenic, Disperse Dyes in Clothes

In the textile and clothing industry, a wide range of chemical substances are used to dye clothes.  Several of the substances are problematic or their break-down products can be problematic. Some of the problematic dyes, such as azo dyes, are regulated in REACH and registered on the candidate list. Other dyes, such as disperse dyes, which can give rise to allergy and cancer, are not regulated by REACH or other legislation. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has therefore investigated manufacturers’ knowledge of which dyes are used in textiles in Denmark. Further the occurrence of 23 selected allergenic, disperse dyes in textiles were examined in a goal-oriented random sampling.