Name: Juan

Message: I love your site and I want to thank you for your loving work.

Ever since I can remember I have loved dyeing...but some short time ago I have had a weird feeling that the constant touch of dyed clothing leaves a certain amount of it on you.  I am now paranoid of colored fabrics, drinks, etc. I still enjoy dyeing but I treat it no different than the car paint or resins of polymers...I like looking at it but I do not wear it or eat it.

I am not 100 percent sure if my concerns are founded in anything sane, but I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Your concerns make some sense, but only for certain classes of dyes.

Some people have skin allergies to some of the dyes in polyester (disperse dyes) or acrylic (basic dyes); allergies can develop only if tiny, tiny quantities of the dye have gotten into the skin. It is generally felt that these quantities of dyes are harmless to wearers, except for those people who have developed these allergies, but I know of no proof that this is so. It could be that your sensitivity is due to having developed such an allergy or it could be just the idea. In either case, even if you just dislike the idea of it, it makes sense for you to avoid exposure to these dyes. The direct dye that is a part of all-purpose dye bleeds so easily in the laundry that it seems likely that it, too, might come off in tiny quantities during wear, if there is moisture on the skin, and indeed some allergies have been reported for wearers of garments dyed with particularly non-washfast direct dyes, such as C.I. Direct Blue 106. (Ref: Kimber et al, Contact Dermatitis 52 (5), 295-295.)

In contrast, fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dye, form a strong covalent bond with cellulose fibers, such as cotton, as well as with silk. If you dye properly with this type of dye on this type of fiber, all you then have to do is carefully wash out all unattached dye. This requires repeated washings in hot water. Once you have completed this step, none of the dye is going to be coming off onto your skin. The only remaining dye is actually a part of the same molecule as the cellulose, at this point. Of course improperly rinsed garments can shed enough unattached dye for allergic contact dermatitis to develop, but this is rare and the result of inadequate washing before initial use.

Allergies to fiber reactive dyes can occur from exposure to the dry dye powder, such as when measuring out the dye powder in order to mix it with water, in getting ready to dye fabric. Sometimes an individual dyer will develop an allergy to one class of dyes. There is one well-known quilt artist who had to switch from using Procion MX dye to using Cibacron F dye. These two types of dye are very similar, and are used similarly, but she has no problems in working with the type she is not allergic to. It is very important to carefully avoid breathing dry dye powder, so that one does not develop a similar allergy.

I understand how you feel about food dyes. Somehow, since the dyes I used in my PhD work were hazardous (of course, we skipped the more boring dyes that we did not expect to do anything!), I just feel kind of disgusted at the idea of dyes in foods. It's not that I think that the food dyes in use are actually very harmful for most people; I just find the idea of consuming them to be very esthetically unappealing. Eating artificial colors and flavors seems to me to be a lot like eating something that simply is not food. I also find very odd the idea of eating insects in pink-colored yogurts and in lipsticks which are colored with the apparently quite harmless natural dye carmine, derived from the cochineal insect.

Note that all-purpose and direct dyes, indeed any dye other than the positively charged basic dyes that are mostly used for acrylics, can be at least partially sealed into the fabric by use of a cationic dye fixative aftertreatment, such as Retayne or Raycafix. These treatments can be applied at home, in the washing machine, and can be purchased from most of the dye suppliers listed on my page of dye suppliers around the world.


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