Azo Dyes & DNA Damage
When we buy clothes for our babies or for ourselves, we need to be extremely mindful about the dyes used during the manufacturing process. We all know that certain types of clothing can cause skin irritation and itching. However, most people do not know that a widely used industrial dye can actually cause physiological damage. The azo dye Acid Black 10B (AB10B) is (surprisingly) used for the production of garments, leather, and prints. According to a biomedical research report published in the journal Chemosphere (h-index: 212), AB10B causes DNA damage [1], which can eventually lead to cancer. Scientists from Brazil evaluated the mutagenic activity of AB10B using Salmonella/microsome assays and studied its acute toxic and genotoxic properties in the human-derived liver cell line HepG2. The findings were extremely concerning. The authors of this scientific report stated that the release of this azo dye into the environment can trigger DNA damage in various biological systems. Azo dyes are known carcinogens and have therefore been banned in various countries. However, many garment manufacturers continue to incorporate these into their textile manufacturing process. Fortunately, there is some encouraging news for responsible parents. Certified organic cotton textile manufacturers such as Tiny twig do not azo dyes or any of the restricted/toxic chemicals for manufacturing kids’ garments. GOTS grants certification only to those organic textile manufacturers who do not use harmful chemicals or cancer-causing azo dyes during garment production. Tiny twig has been consistently receiving certification from GOTS not only for its ethical manufacturing, but also for its contribution to social equity and fair trade.
As responsible parents, wouldn’t you like to check out our wide range of azo-dye-free GOTS-certified organic cotton kids’ garments? Make sure you do it today. In case you have any related queries, we are always here to help you. Have a healthy day and we look forward to keeping you posted on research updates that matter though our social media handles.