Myth: Black is one of the most common colors in textile and clothing products, but it is best not to buy black underwear, wearing black underwear, the chance of cancer will be higher.
Truth: Among the chemical synthetic dyes, azo dyes account for the largest proportion, because their molecular structure contains the structure of azo linked aniline, involving most commonly used reactive dyes, disperse dyes, direct dyes, etc., which are used for dyeing and printing a variety of natural and synthetic fiber fabrics. Azo dyes themselves are non-toxic, but a small part of azo dyes will mix with human metabolites during human wear, and a reduction reaction will occur under certain conditions, releasing carcinogenic aromatic amines and damaging human health.
However, we can rest assured that this part of the azo dye has been banned in most countries. China's national mandatory standard "National Basic Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products" (GB 18401-2010) clearly stipulates that "decomposable carcinogenic aromatic amine dyes are prohibited"; The national mandatory standard "Limit and Determination of 23 Harmful Aromatic Amines in Dye Products" (GB 19601-2013) standardizes the development and production of dye products in China from the source to ensure that high-quality and safe products are provided for the application of textile and garment products and dyes.
So as long as it is a good quality garment, no matter what the color, it is safe and harmless. The above provisions are also applicable to black textile and garment products, and black textile and garment products with qualified quality are also safe and harmless.
*: From the January 2024 edition of Science's Myth List.