Azocolorants in Textiles and Toys

English preface and Summary

Preface

This report presents an environmental and health assessment of azo-colorants in textiles.

The project has been based partly on existing available knowledge and partly on analysis of selected textile products including toys.

The project has been carried out by the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) Clothing and Textile, the Danish Toxicology Centre (DTC) and VKI with support from time Danish Environmental Protection Agency.

The authors are (the project group):

• Charlotte H. Brarup, B. Sc. (Chem. Eng.), Anette Drøjdahl, B. Sc. (Chem. Eng.) and John Hansen, M.Sc. (Chem. Eng.) from DTI Clothing and Textile.
• Helle Buchardt Boyd, M. Sc. (Food-Science) from DTC.
• Anne Rathmann Pedersen, M. Sc. (Chem. Eng.) Ph. D. and Henrik Fred Larsen, M. Sc. (Biology) from VKI.

The project has been followed by an Advisory Committee with the following members:

• Elisabeth Paludan, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency
• Anne Nielsen, Danish Environmental Protection Agency
• Lars Nørgaard, Danish Environmental Protection Agency
• Aage K. Feddersen, Danish Textile & Clothing
• Hans Dankert, the Danish Garment and Textile Workers- Union
• Connie Brandt, the Organisation of Danish Textile Retailers
• Mette Herget, the Danish Chamber of Commerce
• Ann Lehnmann Eriksen, the National Consumer Agency of Denmark
• John Hansen, DTI Clothing and Textile

The chapters in the report have currently been discussed with the Advisory Committee. However, the project group alone is responsible for the content of the chapters in the report.

Danish Technological Institute

DTI Clothing and Textile

August 1998
 

Summary

In this report azo-colorants in textiles are studied. The report contains a theoretical part, a part dealing with health and environmental assessments, and a practical part, an analysis of textile products, including toys.

Following the Introduction, chapter 2 is a general section about azo-colorants for dyeing and printing of textiles, followed by three central sections.

Chapter 3 concerns health assessments of azo-colorants with focus on allergy and carcinogenicity. The risks of exposure to azo-colorants or their degradation products are discussed, and form the background for the choice of the test solutions used in the analysis.

Chapter 4 concerns environmental assessments. Based on the results of the health assessment, focus is on the sulphonated azo-colorants. It is presumed that the washing process is the main source of emission to the aquatic environment, and the degradation processes of azo-colorants are discussed.

Chapter 5 concerns the analysis. The background for the selection of the 59 samples is described together with the test methods used, and the results of the analysis are presented.

Conclusion

Judging from the contents of aromatic amines found in the present survey, the risk of getting cancer from exposure to certain azo-dyed textiles is small, but existing.

A preliminary assessment indicates that the risk of getting allergies against some of the azo-dyes may be substantial, especially if the consumer does not launder the textiles before wearing them.

Alternatives to azo-dyestuffs could be sulphonated azo-dyestuffs (with a few exceptions), since the sulphonated aromatic amines do not seem to possess the same carcinogenic potential as the aromatic amines themselves.

Because the German official procedure for analysis does not simulate the actual physiological exposure, it is recommended to modify the method with artificial acid sweat and artificial alkaline sweat extractions.

The environmental assessment of the sulphonated azo-dyestuffs and pigments show that they in general exhibit a low toxicity. Future studies are needed to clarify the fate of the metabolites and their effects, which may be important for the risk assessment of azo-dyestuffs in the aquatic environment.