'Detox' campaigners scored a huge victory this week when EU countries voted unanimously to ban imports of clothes and textiles containing the toxic 'gender bender' chemical NPE.

A huge victory for Detox supporters came out of Europe this week as all EU member states voted to ban toxic chemicals called nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) from textile imports.

This decision closes a trade loophole that allowed clothing containing dangerous levels of NPE to enter the EU even though the substance is banned from regional manufacturing.

The chemicals are used in textile production as wetting agents, detergents, and emulsifiers. This toxic chemical then remains in the garment, released once you wash your clothing, breaking down to form toxic nonylphenol (NP).

Nonylphenol is a persistent chemical with hormone-disrupting properties that builds up in the food chain and is hazardous even at very low levels. Although a relatively weak estrogen mimic, it is hazardous in the environment due to the high concentrations in which it can occur.

The wide use of NPE in the textile industry was brought to light by a Greenpeace International report, Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry. Released in 2011, the report initially drew huge media attention, as it pointed out a loophole in the EU's REACH chemical regulations.

Released in 2011, the report initially drew huge media attention, as it pointed out a loophole in the EU's REACH chemical regulations. While NPE was banned in textile products within the EU, it did not ban the use of NPE in imported textile products.