Toxic Chemicals Found in Kids’ Clothes from Disney, Gap, 10 Other Brands

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Little Monsters clothingDisney, Burberry, Adidas and other major brands tested positive for hazardous chemicals in their children’s clothes and shoes, according to a Greenpeace investigation.

A Little Story About the Monsters in Your Closet details chemicals found in children’s products from 12 clothing brands: Adidas, American Apparel, Burberry, C&A, Disney, GAP H&M, Li-Ning, Nike, Primark, Puma and Uniqlo. The report is the latest effort in the organization’s ongoing Detox campaign, which calls for major clothing brands to commit to zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals by 2020.

Every brand tested was found to have products containing hazardous chemicals, Greenpeace says. Among the results: one Adidas swimsuit contained higher levels of perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOAs) than permitted in the company’s own Restricted Substance List. PFOAs are very persistent in the environment, remain in people for a very long time and cause developmental and other adverse effects in laboratory animals, according to the EPA.

The testing also found printed fabric on a Primark children’s T-shirt contained 11 percent phthalates, which the EPA says can harm reproductive and hormonal systems. It also detected nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) in at least one article from every brand with high levels in products made by brands including Disney, American Apparel and Burberry. NPEs degrade to nonylphenol (NP), which is bioaccumulative and can act as a hormone disruptor, according to the EPA.

Image Credit: Greenpeace

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