are heavy metals a reason to avoid using reactive dyes?
Body: Name: Drew Message: I understand that reactive dyes contain heavey metals such as copper in blues and cadmium in reds. Once heavy metals are absorbed into the body they stay there. Is it not dangerious to use a product that contains heavy metals? I’m afraid that you are drastically oversimplifying the situation. In addition, many, probably most, reactive dyes do not contain heavy metals, and none of the ones that I use contain cadmium. A great deal depends on what you mean by ‘use’. Any use of heavy metals which does not result in their being taken into the body, at any point, is safe. Eating dyes that contain toxic metals would obviously be dangerous, or even bathing in them, but who would do such a foolish thing? It is essential to obtain safety information for each chemical one uses, whether it is a dye or not, and follow appropriate safety rules for their use. Fiber reactive dye forms a permanent covalent bond with the fiber, so it is certainly not absorbed into the body of t
