Will The Antimony in Polyester Fabric Hurt Me - O ECOTEXTILES

5/7/2019 Will the antimony in polyester fabric hurt me?
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INDULGENT YET RESPONSIBLE.
Will the antimony in polyester fabric

hurt me?
17 02 2010
Synthetic fibers are the most popular fibers in the world with 65% of
world production of fibers being synthetic and 35% natural fibers. (1)
Fully 70% of that synthetic fiber production is polyester. There are
many different types of polyester, but the type most often produced for
use in textiles is polyethylene terephthalate, abbreviated PET. Used in
a fabric, it’s most often referred to as “polyester” or “poly”. It is very
cheap to produce, and that’s a primary driver for its use in the textile
industry.
The majority of the world’s PET production – about 60% – is used to

make fibers for textiles; and about 30% is used to make bo les.
Annual PET production requires 104 million barrels of oil – that’s 70
million barrels just to produce the virgin polyester used in fabrics.(2)
That means most polyester – 70 million barrels worth – is
manufactured specifically to be made into fibers, NOT bo les, as many
people think. Of the 30% of PET which is used to make bo les, only a
tiny fraction is recycled into fibers. But the idea of using recycled
bo les – “diverting waste from landfills” – and turning it into fibers has
caught the public’s imagination. There are many reasons why using
recycled polyester (often called rPET) is not a good choice given our
climate crisis, but today’s post is concentrating on only one aspect of
polyester: the fact that antimony is used as a catalyst to create PET. We
will explore what that means.
Antimony is present in 80 – 85% of all virgin PET. Antimony is a

carcinogen, and toxic to the heart, lungs, liver and skin. Long term
inhalation causes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The industry will
say that although antimony is used as a catalyst in the production
process, it is “locked” into the finished polymer, and not a concern to
human health. And that’s correct: antimony used in the production of
PET fibers becomes chemically bound to the PET polymer so your PET
fabric does contain antimony but it isn’t available to your living system.
(2)
https://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/will-the-antimony-in-polyester-fabric-hurt-me/ 1/9
5/7/2019 Will the antimony in polyester fabric hurt me? | O ECOTEXTILES
(h ps://oecotextiles.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/sb.jpg)
But wait! Antimony is leached from the fibers during the high
temperature dyeing process. The antimony that leaches from the fibers
is expelled with the wastewater into our rivers (unless the fabric is
woven at a mill which treats its wastewater). In fact, as much as
175ppm of antimony can be leached from the fiber during the dyeing
process. This seemingly insignificant amount translates into a burden
on water treatment facilities when multiplied by 19 million lbs each
year – and it’s still a hazardous waste when precipitated out during
treatment. Countries that can afford technologies that precipitate the
metals out of the solution are left with a hazardous sludge that must
then be disposed of in a properly managed landfill or incinerator
operations. Countries who cannot or who are unwilling to employ these
end-of-pipe treatments release antimony along with a host of other
dangerous substances to open waters.
But what about the antimony that remains in the PET fabric? We do
know that antimony leaches from PET bo les into the water or soda
inside the bo les. The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (h p://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs23.html) says that
the antimony in fabric is very tightly bound and does not expose people
to antimony, (3) as I mentioned earlier. So if you want to take the
government’s word for it, antimony in PET is not a problem for
human health – at least directly in terms of exposure from fabrics
which contain antimony. (Toxics crusader William McDonough has

been on antimony’s case for years, however, and takes a much less
sanguine view of antimony. (4) )
Antimony is just not a nice thing to be eating or drinking, and wearing

it probably won’t hurt you, but the problem comes up during the
production process – is it released into our environment? Recycling
PET is a high temperature process, which creates wastewater tainted
with antimony trioxide – and the dyeing process for recycled PET is
problematic as I mentioned in an earlier post. Another problem occurs
when the PET (recycled or virgin) is finally incinerated at the landfill –
because then the antimony is released as a gas (antimony trioxide).
Antimony trioxide has been classified as a carcinogen in the state of
California since 1990, by various agencies in the U.S. (such as OSHA,
ACGIH and IARC) and in the European Union. And the sludge
produced during PET production (40 million pounds in the U.S. alone)
when incinerated creates 800,000 lbs of fly ash which contains
antimony, arsenic and other metals used during production.(5)
Designers are in love with polyesters because they’re so durable – and

cheap (don’t forget cheap!). So they’re used a lot for public spaces.
Abrasion results are a function not only of the fiber but also the
construction of the fabric, and co on and hemp can be designed to be
very durable, but they will never achieve the same abrasion results that
some polyesters have achieved – like 1,000,000 rubs. In the residential
market, I would think most people wouldn’t want a fabric to last that
long – I’ve noticed sofas which people leave on the streets with “free”
signs on them, and never once did I notice that the sofa was suffering
from fabric degredation! The “free” sofa just had to go because it was
out of style, or stained, or something – I mean, have you even replaced
a piece of furniture because the fabric had actually worn out? Hemp
linens have been known to last for generations.
But I digress. Synthetic fibers can do many things that make our lives
easier, and in many ways they’re the true miracle fibers. I think there
will always be a place for (organic) natural fibers, which are
comfortable and soothing next to human skin. And they certainly have
that cachet: doesn’t silk damask sound be er than Ultrasuede? The
versatile synthetics have a place in our textile set – but I think the
current crop of synthetics must be changed so the toxic inputs are
removed and the nonsustainable feedstock (oil) is replaced. I have
great hope for the biobased polymer research going on, because the
next generation of miracle fibers just might come from sustainable
sources.
(1) “New Approach of Synthetic Fibers Industry”, Textile Exchange,

h p://www.teonline.com/articles/2009/01/new-approach-of-synthetic-
fibe.html (h p://www.teonline.com/articles/2009/01/new-approach-of-
synthetic-fibe.html)
(2) Polyester, Absolute Astronomy.com:

h p://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Polyester
(h p://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Polyester) and Pacific
Institute, Energy Implications of Bo led Water, Gleick and Cooley, Feb
2009, h p://www.pacinst.org/reports/bo led_water/index.htm
(h p://www.pacinst.org/reports/bo led_water/index.htm))
(3) Shotyk, William, et al, “Contamination of Canadian and European

Bo led waters with antimony from PET containers”, Journal of
Environmental Monitoring, 2006.
h p://www.rsc.org/delivery/_ArticleLinking/DisplayHTMLArticleforfre
JournalCode=EM&Year=2006&ManuscriptID=b517844b&Iss=2
(h p://www.rsc.org/delivery/_ArticleLinking/DisplayHTMLArticleforfre
JournalCode=EM&Year=2006&ManuscriptID=b517844b&Iss=2)
(4) h p://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs23.html
(h p://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs23.html)
(5) h p://www.victor-innovatex.com/doc/sustainability.pdf
(h p://www.victor-innovatex.com/doc/sustainability.pdf)
(3) h p://www.greenatworkmag.com/gwsubaccess/02mayjun/eco.html
(h p://www.greenatworkmag.com/gwsubaccess/02mayjun/eco.html)
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Date : February 17, 2010

Tags: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, antimony,
antimony oxide, fiber, natural fiber, polyester, Polyethylene
terephthalate, synthetic fiber, United States, William McDonough
Categories : antimony, Chemicals, polyester, synthetic
13 responses
11 05 2012
peter gorse (12:03:38) :
If sportswear brands had to list the chemicals used to make their
polyester based apparel, which also feature UV protection,
moisture-wicking etc. Is there a definitive list of the chemicals they
use?
Reply
11 05 2012
O Ecotextiles (13:33:52) :
If you live in the European Union, the new REACH legislation
a empts to limit the use of around 2000 of the most egregious
chemicals, many of which are used in fabrics. In 2005, the
Norwegian Textile panel listed chemicals of concern in textiles and
the German Environmental Protection Agency has been active in
identifying chemicals of concern. But these are all piecemeal. In the
United States, there are no regulations with regard to textiles
regarding the prohibition of certain chemicals except the few
identified by the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 – it’s actually
the opposite: flame retardants must be applied to various products
and to fabrics used in commercial interior spaces. And as to
sportswear brands using finishes such as UV protection, etc. – these
are usually branded products and the chemical composition is
considered proprietary information. So manufacturers sometimes
don’t even know what is in the moisture-wicking product they
apply, just that it does what it says it does. If a manufacturer is
concerned, they can begin to ask questions and push the chemical
companies to formulate safer alternatives. But I have not seen a rush
to do that on the part of the sportswear manufacturers, especially
now since the products are becoming ever more sophisticated.
Reply
11 05 2012
Thank you for your information. Would it be possible to compile a
list of chemicals used in a typical ‘polyester’ based sports apparel
shirt which included additional finishes such as moisture-wicking
and UV protection? I’m sure many consumers would like to know
this information. It seems highly unlikely that any sportswear brand
will voluntary declare this information or be required to do so by
listing ingredients / chemicals on their products / clothing.
11 05 2012
I’m sure this would be useful, and we will eventually get to the
point where we can study those issues – but since we don’t use
those finishes we haven’t had the opportunity (the time!) to study
them. First you’d need to find out the chemicals used to create the
effect you are looking for – like the perflurocarbons which are in
stain repellants or PBDEs in fire retardants. But often unless / until
there is a major outcry about a particularly egregious chemical
which may be contained in them, the manufacturers continue to use
whatever they like in their “secret formulas” and there is as yet no
way for us to find out what they may be, unless they choose to tell
us. MSDS sheets are not really useful, even if you could get your
hands on one, because they’re targeted to workers who use them in
their working environments.
Reply
14 05 2012
Considering how widespread these UV protection and moisture-
wicking finishes are used in sportswear apparel. Probably talking
millions of polyester based shirts being manufactured using these
chemicals. There must be some studies and or some authority who
knows which combination of chemicals are used in these processes.
I appreciate they may not be hazardous to the consumer, but it
would be nice to have the information rather than just a description.
Thank you again for your help.
Reply
29 04 2013
Coleen (07:05:43) :
It is too bad that everything we buy is probably toxic to some degree
and then, if on the slim chance it isn’t, the production probably
resulted in a toxic workplace and toxic water and land and then, of
course, the USE of so much water when water is a luxury.
Unfortunately, these issues seem to be unimportant to the ones who
have the power to make a change or maybe there are not enough of
the ones in power who want to make a change.
It is becoming impossible to enjoy buying anything and yet,
sometimes it is necessary.
Thanks for the article. Found some information I needed.
Reply
24 06 2013
revitol stretch mark cream reviews (08:39:54) :
Dude……awesome web site you got here. Tons of awesome articles
as well
as related facts!!! Do you already have any existing
content associated with health and wellness coaching tools?
Reply
24 06 2013
No, we don’t.
Reply
11 11 2014
green divorce of PA (23:45:16) :
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for tax
estate law firm
Reply
25 03 2015
paula (22:28:43) :
I just bought a Coleman tent that had a warning that it contains
known carcinogens. After calling them I was told it was due to the
polyester used in the fabric. The person on the phone assured me
that unless I was consuming the fabric, I would be safe. But, still I
wonder.
Reply
26 03 2015
Hi Paula: You’ve just experienced something that we try to explain
about the products that are being sold – the retail or customer
service people know nothing! There is, truly, li le to fear from the
polyester itself – it is the processing of the polyester in which
chemicals that are carcinogenic are introduced. It may be the dyes
used, it may be the yarn texturizers (often BpA) in the polyester
yarns, or it could be something else. But since there are over 2,000
chemicals used in textile processing it’s anybody’s guess what the
carcinogenic chemical is. But if the tent came with a warning,
something that manufacturers will try desperately to avoid, I would
believe them.
Reply
20 07 2015
Amarie (04:08:00) :
Hi, I want to buy the Elf Star Bamboo Waterproof Pads for my baby.
On amazon it states “the product is OEKO-TEX Standard 100
certified, and safe to sensitive skins, which is ideal for babies and
senior citizens”
But it is made with 20% polyester. I’m confused about some things
in these articles and was wondering if you could shed some light on
this. Thanks so much for all the great info!
Reply
20 07 2015
Hi Amarie: The goal of the Oeko-Tex fabric safety standard is to

ensure that fabrics pose no risk to human health.
The Oeko-Tex Standard, in use since 1992, prohibits the same long
list of chemicals that GOTS prohibits; but Oeko-Tex addresses
nothing else about the production steps. For example, wastewater
treatment is not required, nor are workers rights addressed. It is
NOT an organic certification and products bearing this mark are not
necessarily made from organically grown fibers – or from natural
fibers at all. Plastic yarn (polyester, nylon, acrylic) is permi ed, as
long as the processing of those yarns is done without using any of
the prohibited chemicals. Oeko-Tex is only concerned with the
safety of the final product.
Reply
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5/7/2019 Will the antimony in polyester fabric hurt me?

INDULGENT YET RESPONSIBLE.

Will the antimony in polyester fabric

The majority of the world’s PET production – about 60% – is used to

Antimony is present in 80 – 85% of all virgin PET. Antimony is a

which contain antimony. (Toxics crusader William McDonough has

Antimony is just not a nice thing to be eating or drinking, and wearing

Designers are in love with polyesters because they’re so durable – and

(1) “New Approach of Synthetic Fibers Industry”, Textile Exchange,

(2) Polyester, Absolute Astronomy.com:

(3) Shotyk, William, et al, “Contamination of Canadian and European

Date : February 17, 2010

Hi Amarie: The goal of the Oeko-Tex fabric safety standard is to

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