Athletic Clothing Poses a Safety Hazard During MRI Scans
Health professionals are cautioning patients to not wear athletic clothing during an MRI scan.
What might not seem obvious is that some athleisure clothing brands, such as Lululemon, contain small threads of silver in their garment material. Lululemon uses what it calls silver scent technology and it is meant to stop odor-causing bacteria from embedding themselves into the fabric.
According to Business Insider, Lululemon was specifically cited in a case from 2014, when a woman pressed the emergency stop button on an MRI machine after she felt a burning sensation. She was wearing the company’s yoga pants, which had a metallic thread in them.
However, it’s not just Lululemon. Most athletic clothing will label “antimicrobial” on their merchandise, which essentially means it kills microbes and/or bacteria. In most cases, this will also mean that it does use (nano) silver technology.
Many hospitals, such as Lakeridge Health, are now requiring all patients to disrobe and use a gown for any MRI appointments. So it seems best to avoid any athleisure wear It’s hard to spot with the naked eye as the technology improves, so the only way to know for sure is by looking at the tag. When in doubt, go for a standard t-shirt.
Sound Imaging’s MRI Stereo comes with an optional two-way communication feature, so the patient can tell the radiologist if their activewear starts to get really hot during the procedure.