Organic baby clothes can often be found where no other organic clothing options are available. Even Walmart, for example, carries the “George” organic clothing line, as well as some organic back-to-school t-shirts (as of last year), but if you are an adult you are apparently out of luck! Part of the reasoning is only natural. Many parents will choose organic baby food for their children, even if they themselves have no organic food in their diet. But are there reasons we should be taking special consideration of our children in terms of our buying decisions, choosing the organic label on their behalf where we ourselves would be unconcerned?
To an extent, yes. There is quite a bit of evidence which shows that baby’s skin is more permeable and sensitive to chemicals than an adult’s. This is why baby’s skin is so prone to a variety of dermatological conditions in their first year of life, including eczema, baby acne, ... Cotton is one of the world’s most heavily sprayed crops, however it is the chemicals applied to cotton in the actual manufacture of non-organic baby clothes that pose the greatest threat to the end consumer.
Once cotton has been spun into yarn, it receives a polyvinyl alcohol coating to make it easier to weave. After weaving, the cotton is bleached, and 50% of the time it is done using a highly toxic chlorine (most often used in factories outside the U.S.) The fabric is washed with detergent and sodium hydroxide, and then applied with formaldehyde fixing agents in the dying process. Finally the cotton garment is applied with an urea-formaldehyde product which reduces shrinking and wrinkling. A baby’s highly absorbent skin is vulnerable to the residue of these chemicals even after multiple washings.
Sadly, however, the potential problems we wish to protect our children from when choosing organic baby clothing pale in comparison to the much more serious issues faced by farmers and producers in low-income nations, as well as the United States, who are compelled to produce cotton garments on a large scale using unsafe, unsustainable and socially devastating techniques.
Over a third of a pound of pesticides are used to produce the average cotton t-shirt. This adds up to 16 percent of global pesticide use, more than any single crop. One of the chemicals used, Aldicarb, is an acutely toxic pesticide classified by the World Health Organization as “WHO1a”, or “extremely hazardous.” One drop is sufficient to kill an adult male. At least 1 million agricultural workers around the world are hospitalized because of acute pesticide poisoning each year.
99% of cotton production takes place in low-income countries. That is where large corporations have moved their production in recent years because of new rules established by the World Trade Organization and other international bodies, which allow them to circumvent safety, labor and environmental regulations enforced in their own countries. In places like India, where much of the cotton used in the United States is grown, farmers and their children are exposed to pesticides due to leakage into the water supply, poor labeling, or direct exposure. The WHO reports three million pesticide poisonings per year in low income nations.
Clearly, then, when you as a parent begin to ask yourself whether your children could benefit from organic baby clothing, a much bigger picture emerges. On the one hand, the same chemical treatments used in the production of non-organic clothing effects you as well, even though your children might be slightly more vulnerable. On the other hand, choosing organic clothing, not only for your baby but your entire family, can have a much broader impact worldwide in protecting the lives and safety of millions of families worldwide you have never met.
Also keep in mind the labor aspect, and consider looking into fair trade baby clothing as well. Those who disrespect the earth and its resources rarely respect people, and that includes you. By promoting fair trade as well as organic products, you can do a great deal as a consumer to promote social and environmental justice around the world.
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