Textile sorption and release of odorous volatile organic compounds from a synthetic sweat solution

Body odorants typically transfer to clothing fabrics by way of liquid sweat, yet investigations of odor retention in textiles often neglect this route of exposure in their test procedures. This paper describes a novel method for transferring selected odorous volatile organic compounds to six types of textile fibers in yarn bundle form by an aqueous sweat solution. Headspace volatile organic compounds varying by chemical class (ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids) were monitored at discrete time intervals (30 min, 3 h, 24 h) using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Lower intensities of ketones and aldehydes were detected in the headspace above cellulosic fibers (cotton, mercerized cotton, viscose) than above wool, nylon, and polyester fibers at 30 min. A rapid decrease in ketones occurred for all fibers, but lower intensities of ketones were released after 3 h for cellulosic and wool fibers. Nylon fibers typically released the highest amounts of ketones and aldehydes at 30 min, but by 24 h higher intensities of these compounds were released from polyester. Carboxylic acids exhibited minimal differences in intensities between 30 min and 3 h, with few differences evident among fiber types. Understanding the preferential sorption of odorants when clothing is exposed to volatile organic compounds in aqueous solutions such as sweat is enhanced from the results of this investigation.