Is sponge underwear really harmful?

For women, underwear is not only a beautiful decoration that can play a good role in shaping the body, but also a protective equipment for the softest part of the body. As the clothes that are closest to women's bodies, the fabric selection should not only be soft and skin-friendly, but also safe and hygienic. But many bras are filled with sponges. So is it safe for the sponges to come into direct contact with women's breasts? Actually, it is not. Wearing sponge underwear for a long time is harmful to the body.

Four major hazards of sponge bras:

1. The production of ordinary sponge cups adopts the hot pressing shaping process, and the cups produce a lot of smoke and chemical odor during the production process. It will emit toxic and carcinogenic substances, so the ordinary sponge cup itself is unhealthy and it will spread carcinogens to the human body.

2. Ordinary sponge cups will become hard, yellow, and deform due to oxidation. After deformation, the pressure on the breast changes and causes poor blood circulation, which becomes a hidden danger of breast disease.

3. Ordinary sponges have strong adhesion and high detergent residue, which affects health. Just like washing dishes with a sponge, the foam from the detergent is always difficult to clean. The same is true for ordinary sponge bras. A large amount of detergent remains in the sponge cups after repeated washing. When worn close to the body, it participates in the body's metabolic cycle and harms women's health.

4. Ordinary sponge cups are not breathable, which seriously affects women's health: although ordinary sponge cups feel soft. In fact, it is not breathable, especially in summer, it is hot and uncomfortable to wear a bra close to the skin. The stuffiness caused by lack of air permeability puts the blood circulation in an unhealthy state, and long-term wearing leads to a high incidence of breast diseases.

I recently read a report about a beauty-loving lady who had small breasts and had been wearing a bra with thick sponge padding since her marriage. She was reluctant to take it off even when sleeping. Half a year later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have both breasts removed. Damn, it's really stupid to go home and sleep in underwear in the middle of summer. I believe most of you don’t wear underwear at home.

But do you know where sponges come from?

PU sponge cups are made from the following four raw materials:

1. Polyol or polyether

2. TDI toluene diisocyanate

3. Foaming agent

4. Various chemical additives.

2. The most toxic culprit in the sponge: TDI toluene diisocyanate (banned product during the Olympics)

TDI is a highly toxic chemical. Although there is no direct evidence that TDI is related to breast cancer, animal experiments have shown that TDI is absorbed by mice and decomposes into TDA (toluenediamine) when heated. TDA is a recognized carcinogenic chemical. Experiments have also proven that abnormal presence of TDA can be detected in the urine of workers operating in a TDI environment.

There is always a threat that trace amounts of TDI gas emitted from the PU sponge cups could be absorbed by the breasts through the skin. Although there is no way to prove it. However, my country's quality inspection units require that newly renovated homes be tested for the concentration of TDI volatile gases, which are emitted from PU wood paint, and the toxicity of TDI is also apparent.

TDI is very harmful to human health. Long-term and large-scale exposure can lead to the risk of allergies, which are irreversible because they are a reaction of the immune system, different from general irritation allergies.

TDI can also easily react with other substances in an exothermic manner and release CO2, posing a risk of burns and gas pressure, as well as causing a serious greenhouse effect.

3. Sponges cause serious damage to the earth's environment, threatening human survival.

During the production of sponges, the volatilized gases of CFC series foaming agents seriously damage the ozone layer of the atmosphere, causing the temperature of the earth to rise sharply and changing the environment that is beneficial to human life. Although no substitutes with the same cost-effectiveness have appeared so far, Chinese law has stipulated that the use of CFC series foaming agents that destroy the ozone layer will be completely banned in 2010.

4. Sponge bras, due to the characteristics of their composition and tissue structure, have the disadvantage of harboring dirt and filth.

Due to the instability of the molecular structure of the sponge, it is very easy to turn yellow, and almost no manufacturer uses PU sponge to make plain white bras (without lace or other coverings). Also, due to the honeycomb structure of the sponge, it is tightly organized and not easy to breathe. When you sweat, water molecules are stored in the honeycomb, creating a stuffy feeling. Not only is it difficult to dry, but it is also easy to harbor dirt and become a breeding ground for bacteria.

5. Sponge bras cannot be cleaned thoroughly.

Sponge underwear has strong adsorption capacity and is made of petroleum waste. When you wash it, the sponge is quietly absorbing detergents, soaps and other cleaning products. No matter how you wash it, it will not be thoroughly clean. Our chests breathe mainly through the nipples. Just imagine what would happen if our nipples were surrounded by clean elements and dirty things for a long time. The consequences would be serious.