Elucidation of xenobiotics in textiles for infants using non-targeted approaches: The role of fabrics as a source of early-life exposure to potentially harmful chemicals

The contemporary textile industry utilizes a vast array of chemical substances spanning multiple functional and structural classes. Recent data suggest that over 8000 xenobiotic compounds may be employed throughout various stages of textile manufacturing. This widespread chemical usage raises significant public health concerns, particularly because the routine act of wearing clothing implies exposure on a daily basis. Of particular concern is the vulnerability associated with early-life exposure, especially during perinatal and childhood developmental periods. Accordingly, textiles intended for infant use warrant thorough investigation as a potential source of chemical exposure. The present study aimed to implement a non-targeted screening and suspect screening (NTS-SS) methodology to analyze 43 infant garments, with the goal of identifying xenobiotic substances with known or suspected hazardous properties. The selected clothing items were subjected to four distinct treatment conditions to evaluate the leaching behavior of detected compounds and thus their potential bioavailability. Thus, 303 chemicals have been identified, belonging to different classes: pesticides/biocides, adjuvant for biocides, surfactants, food additives/flavorings, fragrances, preservatives, UV filters/anticorrosion agents, intermediates chemical for production, flame retardants, plasticizers/rubber accelerators, pharmaceuticals, and natural products. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation to explore the potential infant exposure to textile-related xenobiotics using an NTS-SS approach. The findings contribute important evidence regarding the plausible health risks posed by chemical constituents present in fabrics designed for infant use.