Does Polyester Clothing Offgas?
September 24, 2007, by Debra Lynn Dadd
Question from KER
Hi Debra,
I was wondering if Polyester and other Petroleum based clothing give off VOCs? & if they do give off VOCs how long would it take to outgass them?
Debra's Answer
Polyester and other synthetic fibers made from petroleum do offgass VOCs--chemicals that offgass are volatile, as in Volatile Organic Chemicals.
How long it takes for them to outgas depends on the fiber and the conditions and the amount of wash and wear. The VOCs decrease with time. I personally don't wear them at all, regardless of age.
Toxic-Free Q&A
These are archives of Q&A asked by readers and answered by Debra Lynn Dadd (from 2005-2019) or Lisa Powers (from 2019-2020). Answers have been edited and updated as of December, 2020.