Survey of Chemical Substances in Consumer Products, 57 – Screening for health effects from chemical substances in textile colorants

Screening for health effects from chemical substances in textile colorants

1 Introduction

1.1 Background and prerequisites
1.2 Health assessment
1.3 Project progress

1.1 Background and prerequisites

A survey and analysis of chemical substances in textile colorants has been performed (Draft dated 20 January 2004, Miljøstyrelsen 2004). The present report contains an evaluation of the detected results.

On the market several products exist that can be used by the common consumer for decorating and dyeing of textiles for hobby use.

Textile products are decorated typically in two principally different ways, by colorants dissolved or dispersed in water, or by insoluble pigments, which like paints are adhered to the substrate by the assistance of a binding agent (adhesive).

Colorants and pigments may contain heavy metals, either incorporated into the molecule and/or as trace elements remaining from the colorant manufacturing.

Furthermore by dyeing and printing of textiles are used several additives that helps the colour to penetrate the textile and to distribute itself evenly and partly to promote/secure the binding to the textile. The additives may be powerful bases or acids, surfactants and reducing or oxidising substances.

The textile colorant products applied in hobby uses may contain significant amounts of volatile substances, especially when using colour pens or Indian inks.

In the survey report the consumption of textile colorants for hobby use was stated to 30 000 kg/year in Denmark (Miljøstyrelsen 2004). 15 products were selected for a preliminary screening of metals and volatile organic components. A separation into 2 use groups was found appropriate. The products were therefore divided into:

Decoration colorants. Decoration colorants are used on limited textile surfaces and amounted to 20 % of the consumption.
Products for dyeing. Products for dyeing are made for total dyeing of the textile or added to larger areas of the textile. Products for dyeing amounted to 80% of the consumption.

In the survey report, a quantitative determination of the content of chemical substances in 8 products is performed.

1.2 Health assessment

A health assessment of the identified substances is based on the principles recommended in the European Union (EU) methodology for risk assessment of chemical substances (Technical Guidance Document, TGD, EC 2003). In the TGD exposure to consumers is included. Some data and information are based on relevant parts of the American "Exposure Handbook" (US-EPA 1997), which contains an extensive data material on American consumers.

The exposure of the consumer varies according to the final use. Still it has been chosen to use as starting point an exposure scenario where the exposure is presumed to be largest. For the use of the product it concerns inhalation of solvents from the product when it is applied on textiles, by drying of the colorant. For the use of the coloured/dyed fabric it can be by uses of the textile as clothes worn next to the skin.

A dermal exposure can be expected to take place by skin contact during use of the product and of the coloured/dyed textile. The duration of contact exposure of the skin will vary but may cause migration of chemical substances from the textile colorants to the skin, possibly helped by sweat.

The exposure route may also be by oral intake if contaminants or residues from the use of the product on hands/fingers or dyed textiles are mouthed.

Scenarios are established for:

Exposure via inhalation
Exposure via the skin (dermal exposure)
Exposure via intake (oral exposure)

1.3 Project progress

The project is divided into two phases:

Phase 1:

Evaluation of the detected chemical substances in textile colorants for hobby use by a screening of immediate available literature on the identified and measured substances. The screening is based on literature information and has the purpose to ensure that the substances focused on by the health assessment are the most relevant substances. In co-operation with the Danish Environmental Protection Agency a number of substances are selected for a further evaluation.

Phase 2:

Establishment of exposure scenarios and evaluation of the selected substances.

Data on the individual substances in form of physical-chemical data, most essential effect data, NOAEL (the level where no adverse effects are observed), LOAEL (the lowest level where adverse effects are observed) or other relevant data are used to the extent they are available. Alternatively are used estimated data based on molecular quantitative structure activity relationship analysis (QSAR data) for the substances where no test data are available.

Exposure scenarios based on the expected exposure of the consumers of "home coloured textiles" are established. Based on the forwarded analysis results from the survey the primary exposure during the use of textile colorants for hobby use appears to be via inhalation. Since the analysis determines the content of chemical substances in mg/kg product a starting point in a worst case situation is taken with an estimation of the maximum evaporation based on the Law on Ideal gasses. Previous examinations performed at the Danish Technological Institute have indicated that the actual evaporation was approx. ¼ of the estimated evaporation from solid materials and approx. ½ from textiles.

Another exposure can be expected from dermal contact during use of the product and the dyed textile. The exposed skin areas are primarily the hands during the use of the colorant product and the skin on other parts of the body during the use of the dyed textiles.

The exposure route may also be by oral intake if contaminants or residues from the use of the product on hands or fingers afterwards are mouthed. A worst case situation would for instance be if "unclean" fingers or the textile is mouthed and possible contents of textile colorants migrate to saliva and are taken in orally.