Your eyes may think your clothes are cleaner, but it’s just an optical illusion.

Optical brighteners pose a number of potential environmental and health problems, and the long-term effects of these chemicals are still unknown. Aside from the whole military safety issue (they can be seen in night-vision goggles), there are some potential drawbacks to optical whiteners that cloth diaper users might be adverse to. Please add www.custserv@freestylephoto.biz to your address book to ensure delivery. TESTING FOR OPTICAL BRIGHTENERS AND FECAL BACTERIA TO DETECT SEWAGE LEAKS IN TIDAL CREEKS MARY E. TAVARES, MARY I.H. As if it wasn’t bad enough, when added to your laundry soap, these optical brightening agents (OBAs), fluorescent brightening agents (FBAs), fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs), synthetic fluorescent dyes, or bluing agents offer no cleaning benefits to your clothes whatsoever.

Essentially, optical brighteners are creating an optical illusion. Optical Brighteners/ UV Brighteners. Learn About Optical Brighteners in Inkjet Paper. There’s no indication that optical brighteners create problematic buildup or inhibit the ability of cloth diapers to absorb. Printed circa 1978 by Ansel Adams, this 30 year old print contains optical brighteners. Optical brighteners, or optical brightening agents (OBAs), are chemicals that are added into certain fine art papers in order to help them appear “whiter.” How do OBAs work? Another example of an extremely harmful ingredients are the optical brighteners that may be in your detergent; additives that emit blue light and make whites appear whiter by tricking the eye. To make paper appear brighter white, manufacturer's add chemicals to the base stock or coating. Our eyes will perceive this white to be brighter than the white that doesn’t contain optical brighteners. The chemicals, called Optical Brightening Agents (OBAs), convert ultraviolet light and re-emit it in the visible blue spectrum. Optical brighteners, compounds added to nearly all modern laundry detergents, may indicate pollution from septic and sewer line leaks. Paper Without Optical Brighteners Exposed to Ultraviolet Light.

Although OBAs help manufacturers sell more products, they make it very difficult to control color because the optical brightening content can only be seen under light sources that contain UV. Museum board is a composite construction, and paper core properties may differ from the outer laminated layers. They do this by leaving a pigment (like a dye) on the fabric’s surface. When coupled with fecal bacteria sampling, testing for optical brighteners may strengthen identification of human fecal contamination. I've been told that, interestingly enough, optical brighteners can actually cause bright and dark colors to fade over time. But don't the dyes in most clothing already contain optical brighteners? No. Abstract: Three New Hanover County, North Carolina, Tidal Creeks were sampled for the presence of optical brighteners … One of those things: Optical Brighteners. They're used to keep whites, white. The chemicals, called Optical Brightening Agents (OBAs), convert ultraviolet light and re-emit it in the visible blue spectrum. Optical brighteners, or optical brightening agents (OBAs), are chemicals that are added into certain fine art papers in order to help them appear “whiter.” How do OBAs work? The Spruce has a good article summarizing the health and environmental concerns of optical brighteners here.

Optical brighteners are synthetic chemicals that make fabrics appear to glow in the presence of ultraviolet light. Learn About Optical Brighteners in Inkjet Paper. These brighteners remain in clothes long after washing, which may cause irritation.