Cotton wool is made up of fibres of cotton – impurities such as seeds are removed and the cotton is then bleached and sterilized.
Conventionally grown cotton is the most highly sprayed crop in the world -
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Despite the fact that cotton is grown on approximately 5% of global cultivated land, it accounts for 25% of all insecticides and 12% of all pesticides used globally.
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Herbicides are also used during conventional cotton production as they are used to defoliate cotton plants at harvesting to make the cotton easier to pick.
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The Sustainable Cotton Project estimated that 1/3 lb of fertilizer was used on every lb of cotton grown in California in 1995.
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Five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton in the US are known to be carcinogenic (cyanide, dicofol, naled, propargite and trifluralin).
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Pesticides used on cotton are often broad-spectrum organophospates – originally developed as toxic nerve agents during World War II.
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In 1995, pesticide-contaminated runoff leached from cotton fields into a creek in Lawrence County, Alabama during heavy rains. Within days 245,000 fish were killed in waterways over a 16 mile stretch.
Since large amounts of chemicals are used to grow conventional cotton, any cotton wool made from it may contain residues of these chemicals. The risk of these chemicals leaching out of the cotton wool when it is used may be increased when using with liquids, creams or lotions. We would always therefore recommend organic cotton wool over cotton wool produced from conventionally grown cotton.
Conventional cotton wool may be bleached using chlorine gas or chlorine compounds – this releases very toxic substances into the environment. Optical whiteners may also be added.
We would advise against using cotton wool which has been whitened or bleached in this way. Instead, opt for cotton wool which has been bleached using hydrogen peroxide, which is a more environmentally friendly bleaching method.
Obviously, everything that applies above to cotton wool also applies to cotton wool buds. One other point to note with cotton wool buds is that the stick may be made of plastic in conventional brands – we would recommend finding a brand that substitute biodegradable materials instead.
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