Are Soft Clothes Really Worth the Dangers From Fabric Softener?
Liquid fabric softeners may make your clothes feel soft, be static-free and smell “fresh,” fabric softeners and dryer sheets will also make them toxic. Health problems can range from headache, lightheadedness and fatigue to serious organ and central nervous system damage, and even cancer.
Although, It disrupts the molecular structure of our laundry and causes wear.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry-generated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), there is a mind-boggling list of dangerous petrochemicals in these products, many of them used in untested combinations. They include:
Linalool: A narcotic that causes CNS disorders and respiratory disturbances, which, in animal testing, have led to death.
- Benzyl Acetate: Is linked to pancreatic cancer and its vapors can be irritating to eyes and respiratory passages, creating coughing. Can be absorbed through the skin.
- Benzyl Alcohol: This upper respiratory tract irritant can cause central nervous system (CNS) disorders, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and dramatic drops in blood pressure.
- Ethyl Acetate: This narcotic is on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. Irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract, it may cause headache and narcosis, anemia with leukocytosis and damage to the liver and kidneys.