Do Dry-Cleaned Clothes Affect Babies?
When purchasing new clothes for your baby, you may notice a care tag that reads "dry clean only." However, there may be more to this little tag than meets the eye. Dry cleaning could potentially pose risks to your health, as well as your baby's health. Be aware of the potential health hazards of this seemingly harmless cleaning procedure.
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Chemicals Used for Dry Cleaning
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Dry cleaning is heavily monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because of the chemical solvents used in the cleaning process. According to the EPA, over 85 percent of dry cleaners use a chemical called perchloroethylene, or perc, to clean garments. The EPA's Design for the Environment Garment and Textile Care Partnership started in 1992 and works with the dry cleaning industry to monitor chemical levels and potential health and environmental concerns of perc.
Chemicals Remain on Clothes
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The dry-cleaning process is designed to wash away the chemical solvents from the clothing after cleaning is complete. However, studies performed at Georgetown University show that high levels of perc remain on many garments, even after they make it home. Wool, polyester and cotton were shown to retain high amounts of perc and actually showed that perc levels built up over time as the article of clothing underwent the dry-cleaning process again and again. Though perc was present in the materials, researchers were unable to conclude whether or not it can pose a health hazard from skin contact or inhalation in these quantities. The Georgetown study findings were published in the Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry publication.
Health Effects
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EPA officials recognize that exposure to high levels of perc can cause severe breathing difficulties, dizziness, fatigue, headaches and mucus membrane irritations in the eyes, nose and throat. Perc is also a suspected and probable carcinogen, according to the EPA. Extended exposure to perc has been shown to increase cancer risk in lab studies as well as long term studies of dry-cleaning employees. Lab rat studies by the EPA have also shown fetal distress from perc exposure, including abnormalities and even death in the fetus.
Babies More Susceptible
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What does this all mean to your baby? The EPA does not have conclusive evidence on how detrimental perc is to the health of those exposed to clothing tainted with the chemical. However, the EPA acknowledges that "an individual's overall state of health, age, lifestyle and family traits" all play a role in susceptibility to cancer and ill health effects from exposure. Babies' immune systems are still not fully developed. This will make them more susceptible to perc exposure.
What You Can Do
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Try to keep your baby away from freshly dry-cleaned clothing, especially those fabrics known to retain more perc, including wool, cotton and polyester. Allow the clothes to air out as much as possible before use. Keep the baby's face away from close contact with the clothing. Avoiding perc-based dry cleaning is the safest solution. Many green dry-cleaning companies utilize green cleaning alternatives that do not utilize perch, such as carbon dioxide cleaning, wet cleaning or liquid silicone.
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