Key messages

• The textile sector has a high environmental footprint, contributing significantly to climate change, water and land use, and is a major global sourceuser of PFAS chemicals, prompting EU action to shift toward circular and sustainable textile systems;
• As textile recycling expands in Europe, including increased fibre recovery and new circular economy policies, more workers are entering textile waste management systems, increasing potential occupational exposure risks;
• These workers may be exposed to chemicals and contaminants such as PFAS and mycotoxins, highlighting a critical gap in knowledge on exposure levels, health effects, and safety conditions in the textile recycling sector.

Overview

Textiles are a major contributor to global environmental degradation, ranking fourth in overall environmental and climate impact and third in water and land use from a life cycle perspective. Textiles also represent a significant source of chemical pollution, accounting for around 35% of global demand for PFAS, which are widely used in clothing, home textiles, leather, and technical applications. In response, the European Union has introduced policies such as the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles ↗ to promote reuse, recycling, and reduced environmental impact, including mandatory separate textile collection systems from 2025 onward.

This shift raises important occupational health concerns, as an increasing number of workers may be exposed to hazardous substances such as PFAS and biological contaminants, including mycotoxins. Mycotoxins, produced by fungi such as Aspergillus and Penicillium, can be present in fibres like cotton, hemp, and wool during storage or disposal, especially under humid conditions. These toxins may persist in dust and waste streams, and exposure can occur through inhalation, dermal contact, and ingestion, while also potentially contaminating soil and water If textile waste in not proper managed.

Both PFAS and mycotoxins have been reported in the textile occupational setting, however, occupational exposure is still not well characterized in the waste management. Therefore, there is a need for more knowledge on the PFAS and mycotoxins exposure levels and related health effects in these occupational settings.

As the textile industry moves toward circular economy models, understanding and mitigating risks ensures that recycled or repurposed materials remain safe for end users.

Policy relevance

The project intends to provide important knowledge to support evidence-based ongoing EU policies on chemical safety (PFAS restrictions already in place and Universal PFAS restriction, Mixture Assessment Factor), Environmental sustainability (Circular Economy Action Plan, Zero Pollution), Occupational Health (CMRs and natural toxins) and much more.

In addition, the project will generate knowledge on occupational exposures to mycotoxins and PFAS, which will be important to support future definition of EU Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) under the Chemical Agents Directive 1998/24/EC ↗ and the development of related biological limit values (BLV).

Moreover, this project will provide knowledge for top priorities of PARC, namely on natural toxins and co-exposure to multi-chemicals and it is also related to the need on data on human exposure to mycotoxins and on PFAS.