An allergic reaction is one of the most common consequences of wearing newly purchased clothes without having previously washed them.
The Spanish We spend on average 330 euros a year on shopping clothes. It is less than what our European neighbors spend, with an annual average of 490 euros.
With the arrival of online commerce, this process has been simplified to unimaginable limits: we can buy all the clothes we want at any time of the day.
Clothing has been part of our lives, practically since the beginning of humanity, although with modifications that have evolved over the years.
However, what many cannot imagine is that the garments can represent a danger to our health.
Specifically, we talk about the dangers to the body of not washing clothes before wearing them for the first time.
However, and before getting into the matter, there have always been two arguments in this debate that has been on the table for years.
On the one hand, those who are in favor of washing new clothes before the first use, and on the other, those who are totally against it. While there are those who think that it is simply a hygiene issueothers prefer to take care of the fabrics and delay washing them as much as possible.
New clothes can cause allergic reactions due to contact with chemicals
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Allergic reactions from not washing new clothes
According to the dermatologist Susan Nedorostprofessor at Case Western Reserve University, in an interview published in The Timesthe Allergic dermatitis is the “high price” that some people pay to put on new clothes without washing them first.
It is a reaction to an allergen, so it is related to the immune system, upon contact with the skin.
The reaction usually appears a few days after wearing a new garment with a very annoying symptom that can last for weeks: rash. And this is due, says the specialist, to “dispersed dyes.”
They are dyes that are used to dye synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon and acrylic to achieve the characteristic colors that we later find in department stores. These dyes are found at “very high levels” in new clothes.
Although there is no data on the number of people affected by allergies to this type of dyes, which are very common in the manufacture of presses, there is a way to limit the risk of adverse reactions as much as possible. And so says Dr. Neodorost.
- “When washing new clothes, some excess dye may be removed and, therefore, exposure may be less.”
The most important thing to avoid risks is to always wash clothes before wearing them.
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Not only can it cause allergic dermatitis
However, beyond the Allergic dermatitisthe use of chemicals for clothing can also cause other health problems, as revealed by a study from Stockholm University.
Published in 2014, researchers analyzed 31 samples of clothing, purchased at retail stores of “various color, material, brand, country of manufacture and price.”
The result is that they found a chemical compound called quinoline (or one of its derivatives) in 29 of the 31 samples.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency classified this chemical compound as “possible human carcinogen.” by linking it with “tumor-initiating activity.”
Of course, the organization clarifies that no studies have been carried out in humans, only in mice, so the impact on our health cannot be definitively stated.
- “Until now these chemicals are not well studied with respect to their absorption through the skin or their health-related effects,” says the professor. Ulrika Nilsson about how the use of these components in clothing can affect us.
Fecal bacteria and germs
A study carried out in the New York University It showed that new clothes are not as clean as we think. Washing clothes before wearing them not only reduces the possibility of suffering an allergic reaction, but we will also avoid being in contact with germs fecal
These bacteria, which can remain in the fibers of clothing for months, “come from the mouth, the skin or even the anus.”
And this is because clothes accumulate countless dirt from the factory where they are produced, reach the department stores and, finally, we buy them. Hence, the importance of washing it before using it.