Common Type of Clothing Could Be Exposing Millions of Children to Harmful Chemicals
By INDIANA UNIVERSITY
The study found toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in all
stain-resistant uniforms tested.
According
to a recent study conducted by scientists at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public
and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and associates from
the University of Toronto, the University of Notre Dame, and the Green Science
Policy Institute, children who wear stain-resistant school uniforms may be
exposed to potentially harmful levels of chemicals.
Approximately
one-fourth of children in the United States attend school in uniform, according
to a Statista survey. Uniforms are required in one-fifth of public schools in
the United States, with elementary and low-income schools having the highest
prevalence. They are even more frequent at Catholic and other private
schools in the United States and Canada.
According to the research, which was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, millions of children in the United States and Canada are exposed to PFAS through their uniforms at levels that might be harmful. The researchers found PFAS in all of the stain-resistant school uniforms from nine popular brands that they tested. Most products had concentrations comparable to those found in outdoor clothing.
“PFAS
don’t belong in any clothing, but their use in school uniforms is particularly
concerning,” said Marta Venier, senior author and professor at Indiana
University. “School uniforms are worn directly on the skin for up to eight
hours per day by children, who are particularly vulnerable to harm.”
Some
PFAS have been linked to a wide range of major health issues, including cancer,
obesity, and more severe COVID-19 outcomes.
They’ve also been shown to contaminate the drinking water of millions of
citizens. Only a small percentage of the thousands of PFAS have been tested for
toxicity, and all PFAS are either extremely persistent in the environment or
break down into extremely persistent PFAS. Furthermore, several newer PFAS that
were initially thought to be harmless have now been shown to be harmful to
human health.
PFAS
in treated uniforms may end up harming children through skin absorption, as
well as from eating with unwashed hands, other hand-to-mouth behaviors, and
mouthing of clothing by younger children. The fluorotelomer alcohols, which
were the primary type of PFAS found in the uniforms, also pose an inhalation
risk. Further, PFAS-treated uniforms are a source of PFAS contamination in the
environment when they are worn, laundered, and discarded or recycled.
“I
don’t know any parent who values stain repellency over their child’s health,”
said Miriam Diamond, co-author and professor at the University of Toronto.
The
findings come as legislation to phase out PFAS in textiles, which would include
school uniforms, moves forward in New York and California. New York’s Senate
Bill S6291A and California’s Assembly Bill 1817, known as the Safer Clothes and
Textiles Act, have both passed their legislatures and are expected to be signed
by their respective governors soon.
“To
protect our children and future generations, the whole class of PFAS should be
eliminated from school uniforms and all other products where they are not
essential,” said Arlene Blum, co-author and executive director of the Green
Science Policy Institute. “Manufacturers can prevent harm by moving away from
PFAS as soon as possible.”
The
researchers recommend that parents check labels to see if their children’s
uniforms are marketed as stain-resistant. If so, they say there is some
evidence to suggest that multiple washes can reduce PFAS concentration. They
also say that used clothes or hand-me-down clothes are better options because
the levels of PFAS might decline with laundering.
Reference:
“Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in North American School Uniforms” by
Chunjie Xia, Miriam L. Diamond, Graham F. Peaslee, Hui Peng, Arlene Blum,
Zhanyun Wang, Anna Shalin, Heather D. Whitehead, Megan Green, Heather
Schwartz-Narbonne, Diwen Yang and Marta Venier, 21 September 2022, Environmental Science & Technology.
DOI:
10.1021/acs.est.2c02111
The
study was funded by the Environment and Climate Change Canada, Great Lakes
Protection Initiative.