Azo dyes represent the most widely used chemical class of dyes in textiles. They may be biotransformed into aromatic amines by human skin bacteria. These aromatic amines might then enter the body through dermal absorption. Twenty-two aromatic amines are known carcinogens. Therefore, azo dyes are banned for the use in textiles for clothing in the European Union. Non-regulated aromatic amines with suspected toxic properties might also be released by azo dyes. For this survey, 58 aromatic amines of toxicological concern were selected, including the 22 regulated as well as aromatic amines suspected of being mutagenic and some of their positional isomers. Their occurrence and content after the reductive cleavage of the azo bond were investigated in 150 random textile samples from Swiss retail outlets and online shops. Substances suspected of being mutagenic, including potential reduction derivates of nitro compounds were detected in relevant concentrations (> 30 mg/kg) in 25% of the analyzed samples. This survey clearly shows that a substantial percentage of the azo dyes used in today’s textiles for cloth are made up of aromatic amines possessing mutagenic and/or other hazardous properties.

中文翻译：

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在瑞士市场上的服装纺织品中对作为偶氮染料裂解产物的有害非管制芳香胺的调查

偶氮染料代表了纺织品中使用最广泛的化学类别的染料。它们可能被人类皮肤细菌生物转化为芳香胺。这些芳香胺可能随后通过皮肤吸收进入人体。22种芳香胺是已知的致癌物。因此，在欧洲联盟中，偶氮染料被禁止用于服装纺织品中。具有可疑毒性的非管制芳香胺也可能会被偶氮染料释放。在本次调查中，选择了58种具有毒理学意义的芳族胺，包括22种受管制的以及被怀疑具有致突变性的芳族胺及其一些位置异构体。在瑞士零售店和网上商店的150个随机纺织品样品中，对偶氮键还原性裂解后它们的出现和含量进行了研究。在25％的分析样品中，以相关浓度（> 30 mg / kg）检测到怀疑具有致突变性的物质，包括硝基化合物的潜在还原衍生物。这项调查清楚地表明，当今用于织物的纺织品中，相当一部分偶氮染料是由具有诱变和/或其他危险特性的芳香胺组成的。