High levels of the toxic chemical BPA have been found in sports bras and athletic shirts of 11 major brands.
- The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has sent legal notices to eight brands of sports bras and six brands of athletic shirts after testing showed the clothing could expose individuals to up to 22 times the safe limit of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), according to California law.
- The sports bra brands include Athleta, PINK, Asics, The North Face, Brooks, All in Motion, Nike, and FILA. The activewear shirt brands include The North Face, Brooks, Mizuno, Athleta, New Balance, and Reebok.
- Defendants will have 60 days to work with CEH to remedy the violations before CEH files a complaint to do so.
The Toxic Chemical: BPA, a well-studied hormone disrupting chemical, mimics oestrogen and can disrupt the normal functioning of the body, including metabolism, growth and development, and reproduction.
- CEH’s investigations have found BPA in polyester-based clothing with spandex, including socks made for infants.
- Throughout the past year, CEH has pushed more than 90 companies to reformulate their products to remove all bisphenols including BPA, and some have already agreed to do so.
What they said:
People are exposed to BPA through ingestion or by absorption through skin. Studies have shown that BPA can be absorbed through skin and end up in the bloodstream after handling receipt paper for seconds or a few minutes at a time. Sports bras and athletic shirts are worn for hours at a time, and you are meant to sweat in them, so it is concerning to be finding such high levels of BPA in our clothing.
— Kaya Allan Sugerman
Program Director (Illegal Toxic Threats)
Center for Environmental Health
The problem with BPA is it can mimic hormones like estrogen and block other hormone receptors, altering the concentration of hormones in our bodies, and resulting in negative health effects. Even low levels of exposure during pregnancy have been associated with a variety of health problems in offspring. These problems include abnormal development of the mammary glands and ovaries that can increase the likelihood of developing breast or ovarian cancer later in life. These effects occur even at low levels of exposure like those seen in people today.
— Dr Jimena Díaz Leiva
Science Director
Center for Environmental Health
