Moving around is the best and most important thing we can do for our health. But unfortunately, some clothes and shoes we wear when we exercise are not always the healthiest, neither for ourselves nor for the environment. Before you visit the store to buy new training clothes, it is a good idea to ensure that the clothes do not contain harmful substances. It is common to add toxic substances to the textile of training clothes, especially to make them more elastic and comfortable.

AVOID CLOTHING THAT IS MARKETED AS ODORLESS OR ANTIBACTERIAL
In recent years, it has become a trend with odorless training clothes. Clothes that do not smell of sweat are something that many people want. Did you know that sweat in itself does not smell? Sweat odor occurs when bacteria on the skin break down nutrients in the sweat and form waste products. Therefore, we treat some training clothes with antibacterial substances (biocides) to kill the bacteria and thus get rid of the smell of sweat. On the clothing label, it can say, for example, “odorless,” “hygienic protection,” or “for lasting freshness.” Unfortunately, these antibacterial substances can do significant damage, both to your health and, not least, to the environment.
THE MOST COMMON BACTERICIDE IS SILVER
An example of an active substance used in antibacterial textiles is silver nanoparticles [2]. When training clothes are washed, silver leaks into the water. A survey from Svenskt Vatten showed that between 30 and 90 percent of the silver from the clothes disappeared into the drain after ten washes [3].

The water treatment plants can capture up to 90 percent of the silver. During this process is where the problem arises. The silver ions kill many beneficial bacteria found in treatment plants, which are needed when purifying water [2][4]. While not capturing the remaining 10 percent, it will damage the environment significantly. Silver is an element that cannot be broken down in nature but gets stuck in the bottom sediment in lakes and seas. Silver ions are very toxic to organisms that live in the ocean and seabeds, such as fry, eggs, bacteria, and crustaceans. If these organisms die, the entire food chain is affected upwards. We know little about the long-term effects of silver on ecosystems, which is why it is essential to avoid them leaking into the water [1].
INCREASED RISK OF ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT BACTERIA
The water treatment plants can capture up to 90 percent of the silver. During this process is where the problem arises. The silver ions kill many beneficial bacteria found in treatment plants, which are needed when purifying water [2][4]. While not capturing the remaining 10 percent, it will damage the environment significantly. Silver is an element that cannot be broken down in nature but gets stuck in the bottom sediment in lakes and oceans. Silver ions are toxic to organisms living on the bottom of lakes and seabeds, such as fry, eggs, bacteria, and crustaceans. If these organisms die, the entire food chain is affected upwards. We know little about the long-term effects of silver on ecosystems, which is why it is essential to avoid them leaking into the water [1].
MANY PEOPLE QUESTION THE BENEFITS OF ANTIBACTERIAL CLOTHING
A test carried out by the Swedish Chemicals Agency in 2015 found that 1 in 3 garments had no antibacterial effect at all, even in new condition, and that 2 out of 3 tested products had no bactericidal effect after being washed ten times. The Swedish Chemicals Agency, therefore, considers it pointless to treat clothes with antibacterial agents. In addition, many bacteria that are good for us will die when we use biocides [1].
AS A CONSUMER, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT CHEMICALS IN TEXTILES
If you want to buy a garment, your rights are to know how the manufacturer treats it and if they use antibacterial substances or another biocidal product to treat the garment. According to EU legislation, if the garment producer claims the item has an antibacterial effect, they must mark it with information stating the name of the biocide [5]. Unfortunately, many companies are still lacking in labeling biocide-treated clothing. Therefore, it is good to have the knowledge yourself and ask retailers about the contents of your clothes [2].

The Candidate List lists more than 200 hazardous substances. It is part of the European chemicals legislation, REACH. As a consumer, you always have the right to know if what you want to buy contains a substance on the Candidate List. If the retailer does not know, they must find out and have the information available within 45 days [6].
It is still legal in the EU to treat textiles with certain biocides. However, many of these are under review within the EU. The aim is to reduce the use of antibacterial substances in a society where these substances are not needed [1]. Swedish Water is pushing for the labelling to be more transparent for biocide-treated products. Last year, several companies were reported to the Swedish Chemicals Agency for lack of labelling. Several large sportswear companies have begun to phase out silver [2].

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- A good start is to download the chemicals app to your phone! Swedish Consumers have launched the Chemicals app to make it easier for consumers to get information about dangerous substances in different goods. In the app, you can scan products’ barcodes to check if the garments contain hazardous chemicals.
- Ask your retailer what the garment you want to buy includes! Remember that you have the right to receive information about this.
- Textiles in new clothes contain more chemicals, so think about whether you need more training clothes.
- If you are buying new, look for eco-labelled fabrics. The Nordic Ecolabel, EU Ecolabel, Good Environmental Choice, and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) are labels that make demands on all parts of the production chain.
- Feel free to watch this short clip from Svenskt Vatten (51 seconds) about washing instructions for clothes that contain silver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDqH6gYPn6g&feature=youtu.be
Sources
- Svensktvatten.se – Report about silver in performance wear
- The Conversation – Silver nanoparticles in clothing wash out – and may threaten human health and the environment
- Svensktvatten. se – performance wear releases silver
- Kemi.se – products treated with antibacterial treatment
- Kemi.se – textile material
- Kemi.se – The candidate list – the EU’s list of particularly dangerous substances
- Havochvatten.se/ – dictionary biocid