Bamboo clothing passes under CSU microscope

FORT COLLINS – Pandas eat it. You've probably walked on it and, more and more, people are wearing it: bamboo.

It can be converted into a soft, durable fabric and because bamboo grows quickly without the aid of pesticides, the fabric is considered environmentally-friendly.

There have also been claims that it repels odor-causing microbes and UV radiation.

Those claims caught the attention of Ajoy Sarkar, an associate professor in Colorado State University's Department of Design and Merchandising.

"This is my area of research, protective clothing," Sarkar said.

Sarkar put the assertions to the test in the laboratory.

"It turns out to be not true," he said.

He says bamboo clothing is not naturally anti-bacterial or anti-UV, but adds it can be made so by mixing in additives.

"We took this fabric and we treated it with different chemicals," he said. "So in one shot, the bamboo gets both of these properties."

He says the next step is to find natural, plant-based agents to replace the chemicals.

Cotton, like bamboo, needs additives to protect against the sun's ultraviolet rays.