{"id":4900,"date":"2022-05-04T09:04:44","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T14:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/?p=4900"},"modified":"2022-05-05T09:05:25","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T14:05:25","slug":"pfas-are-showing-up-in-childrens-stain-and-water-resistant-products-including-those-labeled-nontoxic-and-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/pfas-are-showing-up-in-childrens-stain-and-water-resistant-products-including-those-labeled-nontoxic-and-green\/","title":{"rendered":"PFAS are showing up in children\u2019s stain- and\u00a0water-resistant\u00a0products \u2013 including those labeled \u2018nontoxic\u2019 and\u00a0\u2018green\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n Stain-resistance can mean questionable chemicals in children\u2019s clothes.\n VM via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nKathryn Rodgers<\/a>, Boston University<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

Even if children\u2019s stain- or water-resistant clothes are advertised as \u201cgreen\u201d or \u201cnontoxic,\u201d they might still contain PFAS, a group of manufactured \u201cforever chemicals\u201d that have been linked to a wide range of health problems in children.<\/p>\n\n

In a new study<\/a>, colleagues and I tested more than 90 water- and stain-resistant children\u2019s items that are easily available in stores and online.<\/p>\n\n

The results were eye-opening. We found PFAS in school uniforms, pillows, upholstered furniture and several other items that are often next to children\u2019s skin and near their noses and mouths. None of those products\u2019 labels warned that toxic manufactured chemicals were present. In fact, many of them were advertised as nontoxic or green.<\/p>\n\n

What\u2019s wrong with PFAS?<\/h2>\n\n

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of over 9,000 chemicals that contain a carbon-fluorine bond and are used for their persistent characteristics, such as their ability to withstand water, heat and grease. <\/p>\n\n

These chemical are all around us<\/a> \u2013 they are used in nonstick cookware, greaseproof food packaging, water-resistant clothing, touch screens and plastic molding, as well as firefighting foams and industrial processes. They get into water, soil, dust and the air people breathe, and they can bioaccumulate<\/a> in animals. <\/p>\n\n

They have also been found in the blood of over 98% of Americans<\/a> tested and in the farthest reaches of the Earth<\/a>. The relatively few PFAS that have been studied for their impact on humans have been shown to have associations with a wide range of health problems<\/a>, such as cancers, increased cholesterol, interference with natural hormones and reduced vaccine response in children.<\/p>\n\n

\n \"Graphic<\/a>\n
\n These are a few examples of other products that can contain PFAS.<\/span>\n City of Riverside, California<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Children\u2019s exposure to PFAS is of particular concern because children\u2019s smaller size, developing bodies and changing hormones and physiology may make them more susceptible to effects from PFAS. A review of children\u2019s exposure to PFAS and the health effects<\/a> found evidence of associations between PFAS levels in the blood and changes in the age when children first begin menstruating; other findings included changes in kidney function and immune responses, along with dyslipidemia<\/a>, an imbalance of fats in the blood, which can put children at risk for cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n\n

What we found in children\u2019s products<\/h2>\n\n

Previous studies have found PFAS present in children\u2019s clothing<\/a>, some of which are advertised as \u201cfunctional\u201d fabrics with features such as water resistance. We sought to test whether the information on children\u2019s product labels, specifically products advertised as stain- or water-resistant, would predict the presence of PFAS.<\/p>\n\n

We also wanted to know if products advertised or certified as \u201cgreen\u201d or \u201cnontoxic\u201d indicated the absence of PFAS.<\/p>\n\n

We looked at 93 products used by children or adolescents that fell into three broad product types: apparel, bedding and furnishings. Initial tests<\/a> showed that 54 of those products had measurable levels of total fluorine, indicating the presence of PFAS. Our study partners at Alpha Analytical<\/a> then tested those products for 36 individual PFAS.<\/p>\n\n

\n \"A\n
\n PFAS shows up in stain-resistant carpet and furniture textiles.<\/span>\n FatCamera via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

We found that products advertised as water- and stain-resistant were more likely than other products to have detectable levels of total fluorine and higher levels of PFAS, though not all of them included PFAS. None of the other products had detectable levels of the PFAS chemicals that we tested for, though some had measurable levels of total fluorine.<\/p>\n\n

Water- or stain-resistant products advertised as \u201cgreen\u201d or \u201cnontoxic\u201d had similar detections of PFAS and total fluorine levels to water- or stain-resistant products without any green assurances.<\/p>\n\n

The product categories that had the highest measurements of PFAS were clothing, including school uniforms; pillow and mattress protectors; and upholstery from children\u2019s furniture.<\/p>\n\n

While our study didn\u2019t measure exposure, there is potential for children in contact with these products to be exposed to PFAS compounds, including many we did not measure, such as volatile PFAS that can be inhaled. Studies have shown that with wear and washing, PFAS can leach out<\/a> of durable or functional textiles, leading to increased potential for exposure and environmental contamination.<\/p>\n\n

What can be done about it?<\/h2>\n\n

While more research is needed to quantify PFAS exposures from clothing and other children\u2019s products, it\u2019s worth asking why these chemicals are added to these products in the first place. The truth is that children are messy, and buying white clothing or using light carpeting in heavily trafficked rooms is just not practical.<\/p>\n\n

The Environmental Protection Agency has been considering federal rules<\/a> to limit PFAS use and possibly declare them hazardous substances. It\u2019s a complicated debate<\/a> with implications for the companies that make these chemicals and the products that contain them, and even for landfills and wastewater treatment plants.<\/p>\n\n