Contact Dermatitis Prevalence

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Contact Dermatitis, a condition in which a person’s skin reacts to often-prolonged exposure to a trigger, is surprisingly prevalent around the world and it impacts an estimated 20% of the world’s population.

Textile Contact Dermatitis, the form of contact dermatitis that Liz has, is related to triggers that can be present in textiles. This Mayo Clinic study describes how adding a textile series in the patch test increases the recognition of textile allergens that can cause contact dermatitis, with 32% of one test group demonstrating an allergic reaction to one or more textile dyes and resins.

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By demanding change, you can support everyone who could potentially be affected by contact dermatitis in their lifetimes. Even if you are not impacted now, you or your loved ones could eventually develop the condition because contact dermatitis is often caused by prolonged exposure.

 

Because the chances of being impacted by Textile Contact Dermatitis might depend on your fashion choices, this technical topic is deeply connected to social practices and cultural values. Consider the following examples of social issues related to textile technology and allergies. As people have become more accustomed to the convenience of wearing clothes that don't require ironing, formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals have made their way into our clothing. And Liz's anti-microbial scarf points to an example of additives being put into textiles to satisfy our increasing desires for anti-microbial clothing. Here's another example: nickel allergies, like Liz experiences, impact women more than men. Nickel is often present in the buttons or rivets in blue jeans (and in earrings); as a result, nickel allergies are most prevalent in women, and particularly women from lower socioeconomic groups. 

 

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Dangerous to Everyone

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Even if you or someone you know isn’t affected by Textile Contact Dermatitis, many chemicals used in textiles are known to have negative effects on everyone.

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PFAs

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PFAs, used for waterproofing in textiles and commonly called out for polluting water sources, are linked to hormone suppression, thyroid problems, and cancer, especially for more vulnerable populations such as children. This article discusses the prevalence of PFAs in school uniforms.

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This page contains a wealth of CDC information on PFAs.

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The prevalence of PFAs in clothing is expansive. One study performed by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation in 2018 found PFAs in 68% of tested clothing. 

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Flame Retardants

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Flame retardants are also often used in textiles and clothing. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to thyroid problems, cancer, and decreased fertility. This article discusses the prevalence of flame retardants on college campuses due to dust released by furniture that is typically used in colleges.

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This page contains information from the CDC on flame retardants.

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Formaldehyde

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Many textiles also include formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing chemicals. When humans are exposed to these chemicals, they can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, as well as allergies; long-term exposure has been linked to cancer. Historically, formaldehyde was used for durable press textiles (also referred to as "permanent press" and sometimes as "wrinkle-free"), though it isn’t used as much anymore. Many areas in the United States, such as the state of Minnesota, have acted to remove formaldehyde from textiles, and especially children’s products. However, the use is by no means eradicated. This is the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s update on formaldehyde. 

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Here’s a testimony given to the Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance. It describes the impact on children's health of formaldehyde in textiles and children’s products. 

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This project

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Dr. Caitrin Lynch first met Liz during a period when Dr. Lynch was deeply immersed in anthropological fieldwork in a New England textile mill. Because the fieldwork included close analysis of the technology of textile production, Liz's story of being allergic to her clothes piqued Dr. Lynch's curiosity. Dr. Lynch and a team of Olin College students and alumni (all engineers) went on to interview Liz, medical professionals (allergists and dermatologists), textile industrialists, and environmental scientists.

 

This website project is output from research funded by the National Science Foundation (Dr. Caitrin Lynch, principal investigator): “Textiles, Technology, and the Return of Manufacturing in the United States” (award 1654944). Initial creative work on this website project was funded by the Sketch Model Summer Studio at Olin College (via a grant to Olin from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation). In addition to the creators of this site, this project included valuable early work contributions from Andrew Holmes, Kate Mackowiak, Ben Retik, and Margaret Rosner, as well as numerous colleagues at Olin College.  

 

Dr. Lynch's research and teaching passions include a focus on the global apparel industry, and she is the author of two books, both published by Cornell University Press: Retirement on the Line: Age, Work, and Value in An American Factory, and Juki Girls, Good Girls: Gender and Cultural Politics in Sri Lanka's Global Garment Industry. Read here for more information about Dr. Lynch. 

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