Risk assessment of heavy metal residues in shop towels

On behalf of the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) of America, ARCADIS performed a study to
measure heavy metal residues in laundered shop towels and to provide a quantitative risk assessment
based on exposures to workers using the towels. The study was prompted by a technical paper prepared
by Gradient (Cambridge, MA) entitled, Evaluation of Potential Exposure to Metals in Laundered Shop
Towels (Gradient, 2010), which concluded that the residual metals could pose a significant hazard.