ANTIMONY

To make the production of ‘plastic’ polyester fabric commercially viable a catalyst is required to speed up the chemical reaction.

The substance of choice is called ‘Antimony’, which is a sliver, grey metal.

Antimony is a toxic chemical element and has been classified as a carcinogen in the state of California and the European Union since 1990.

Antimony is just not a nice thing to be wearing. It possibly won’t hurt you, as during the production process of polyester it becomes chemically bonded to the fabric, however the residue sludge produced during manufacture when incinerated creates fly ash which contains antimony.

You won’t find any of this information on the labels of your Nike, Adidas or Puma polyester polo shirts.

But at least you now know that you are playing golf in the sunshine with antimony chemically bonded to your polyester shirt next to your skin.

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