Common chemicals released under sunlight exposure?

  • Thread starter Thread starter kenny1999
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Chemicals Sunlight
AI Thread Summary
Exposure to sunlight can lead to the breakdown of chemical bonds in clothing and bedclothes, potentially releasing various chemicals. The specific substances released depend on the materials and additives used in the textiles, which can include detergents, fabric softeners, and odorants. Common chemicals that may be released include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other additives used in the manufacturing process. The cleaning method also influences chemical release, with dry cleaning and water-based cleaning methods yielding different results. The complexity of this topic is heightened by the diversity of fabric types and the multitude of chemicals involved, making it challenging to provide a definitive answer without detailed ingredient lists.
kenny1999
Messages
235
Reaction score
5
What are the common and/or possible chemicals that could release from clothes or bedclothes when it is exposed to sunlight? Since there are many
different textures and additives so I am concerned about the common chemicals that could release

I roughly know that sunlight will break a lot of bonding, but when the bonding
is broken, what happens next? will it release any chemical (either harmful or harmless) out, what are they?
 
Biology news on Phys.org
There is no simple answer, plus there are many methods of cleaning clothes.
Dry cleaning | water + detergent and/or soap
might be a good starting point.

Plus, to make things more difficult, there are all kinds of additives in water based products, like odorants that make the clothes smell "clean" or "lemon-ish".

In other words, there is no good answer without an exact list of ingredients. Multiple methods means more lists.

This is not a good question for PF, IMO. Maybe @chemisttree knows of some references you can dig through.
 
Deadly cattle screwworm parasite found in US patient. What to know. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/08/25/new-world-screwworm-human-case/85813010007/ Exclusive: U.S. confirms nation's first travel-associated human screwworm case connected to Central American outbreak https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/us-confirms-nations-first-travel-associated-human-screwworm-case-connected-2025-08-25/...
Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S. According to articles in the Los Angeles Times, "Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.", and "Kissing bugs bring deadly disease to California". LA Times requires a subscription. Related article -...
I am reading Nicholas Wade's book A Troublesome Inheritance. Please let's not make this thread a critique about the merits or demerits of the book. This thread is my attempt to understanding the evidence that Natural Selection in the human genome was recent and regional. On Page 103 of A Troublesome Inheritance, Wade writes the following: "The regional nature of selection was first made evident in a genomewide scan undertaken by Jonathan Pritchard, a population geneticist at the...
Back
Top