Textile Related Chemicals: Analytical Approaches Towards the Assessment of Human and Environmental Exposures

Abstract: The textile manufacturing chain involves an extensive use of chemicals as early as fabric-production. To confer special features to textile materials, more chemicals are required in subsequent steps. Furthermore, potentially harmful substances can end up in clothes as transformation products. Compounds that are not covalently bonded to the fabrics have high probability to be released on the skin or into the environment when the clothes are worn or laundered.In order to remove interfering compounds from solvent extracts of investigated textiles, a cleanup step based on solid phase extraction using graphitic carbon black was developed resulting in effective dye removal. In a pilot screening, nitroanilines were detected up to 0.57 mg/g, which was 2-3 order of magnitude higher than measured quinolines.Human exposure to chemicals can occur through skin contact. Benzothiazole was chosen as model compound for in-vitro experiments. Its permeation was experimentally determined in order to estimate dermal exposure. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks, associated to wearing t-shirt containing BT, according to international standards, were found to be below the acceptable exposure levels.It has been shown that chemical concentrations decreased during domestic washing. A procedure was developed for enrichment and clean-up of textile related compounds from water samples. The method was applied to three wastewater treatment plant effluents located in Stockholm. Tolyltriazole, 1-benzotriazole, and UV-P were detected within the range of 53-1148 ng/L.Suspect and non-target screening methodology was developed do detect and identify substances in textile materials. The occurrence of thirteen suspect compounds, belonging to quinolines, nitroanilines, benzotriazoles, benzothiazoles and phthalates, was confirmed through suspect analysis approach. Furthermore, using a non-target screening approach, compounds not included in the suspect list such as nitrophenols, organophosphate and acridine were identified.In order to remove interfering compounds from the textile extracts, a cleanup step based on solid phase extraction using graphitic carbon black was developed resulting in effective dye removal. In a pilot screening, nitroanilines were detected up to 0.57 mg/g, which was 2-3 times higher than measured quinolines.Human exposure to chemicals can occur through skin contact. Benzothiazole was chosen as model compound for in-vitro experiments. Its permeation was experimentally determined in order to estimate dermal exposure. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks, associated to wearing t-shirt containing BT, according to international standards, were found to be below the acceptable exposure levels.It has been shown that chemical concentrations decreased during domestic washing. A procedure was developed for enrichment and clean-up of textile related compounds from water samples. The method was applied to three wastewater treatment plant effluents located in Stockholm. Tolyltriazole, 1-benzotriazole, and UV-P were detected within the range of 53-1148 ng/L.  Suspect and non-target screening methodology was developed do detect and identify substances in textile materials. The occurrence of thirteen suspect compounds, belonging to quinolines, nitroanilines, benzotriazoles, benzothiazoles and phthalates, was confirmed through suspect approach. Furthermore, using a non-target screening approach, compounds not included in suspect list such as nitrophenols, organophosphate and acridine were identified.