To grow the cotton needed to make a single T-shirt, approximately 3 ounces of agricultural chemicals are used—nearly half the weight of the shirt itself.

Each growing season, the average cotton field is doused with more than 225 pounds of fertilizers and chemicals per acre. According to the USDA, cotton growers annually use more than 85 different types of fertilizer and pesticide. Hazard ratings for 62 of these chemicals, based on their potential for causing death to lab animals at different doses, have been issued by the World Health Organization: Three are classified as extremely hazardous, five are highly hazardous, 16 are moderately hazardous, and 18 are slightly hazardous.

Even at low doses, many of these chemicals can be toxic to humans. Studies examining the incidence of certain health issues among agricultural workers have linked chemical exposure to various types of birth defects, respiratory problems, neurological disorders, cancer, and other chronic illnesses.

So what are the benefits of organic cotton? Organically grown cotton is produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. The production of organic cotton also takes soil conservation into account and ensures that crops, soil, and water are not contaminated with nutrients, pathogens, or residues that may harm the environment.

Although agrochemicals are unlikely to remain on cotton fabrics once they’ve been washed, your purchase of organic cotton items casts a vote in favor of better farming practices, better water quality, healthier birds and aquatic animals, and better work conditions for agricultural laborers.

Currently in the U.S., there are more than 12 million acres of conventionally grown cotton under cultivation—and just over 6,000 acres of organic cotton.