The book To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick by Alden Wicker explores public health and fast fashion

When I look at reporting like this, I can't help but notice that they're missing some key pieces of the puzzle. They all seem to rely on the main argument that all chemicals are bad. Things like the amount of chemical exposure, how long that exposure lasts really matter, and "half-life" (for lack of a better word) of the chemicals. Also, it's important to consider the context, like if the chemicals are used for dyeing or setting in the manufacturing process. Are they washed out and so on.

However, if you're surrounded by toxic chemicals during manufacturing and not wearing the right safety gear, you're definitely going to face some health problems. But, if the final product only contains trace amounts of these chemicals, it's unlikely to harm the person using it.

That said, I do think it'd be a great idea to have an "ingredients" list for clothes. This could really help people who have reactions to certain substances, and it could also shed some light on how making these clothes affects the environment.

Toxicologist often say: "The dose makes the poison". Basically, anything can be harmful if you have too much of it – for example caffeine! Caffeine can and will kill you if you consume too much, but many seek it out daily. When we're talking about the things we use and buy, it's possible for some chemicals to be toxic in large amounts but totally safe in small ones. For example - Look at this study of formaldehyde - very low doses have a very low risk of negative impacts. The trick is to make sure the amounts are controlled so they're safe. This kind of understanding could make a big difference in how we shop and think about the environment.