A number of children's products labelled as 'green' and 'non-toxic' have been found to contain toxic PFAS chemicals, which can pose a threat to human health.
Clothing, furniture and bedding aimed at children, and produced by a number of leading brands, were among the products found to contain PFAS, by a team from the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Massachusetts.
Some products, labelled as being 'green' or 'non-toxic' were among the items, many of which were water resistant. Products came from a range of brands including Columbia, Old Navy, Gap and Lands' End, among others.
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Studies have linked PFAS with a range of health effects including cancers, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low birth weight, and asthma, and a number of states have passed legislation to prevent manufacturers including PFAS in products.
Most of the products tested by the team had been manufactured in China for US brands, they explained.
As well as the cancer risk, there is also evidence that PFAS can suppress the immune system, potentially weakening the effectiveness of childhood vaccines and the body's ability to fight infections, according to study co-author Dr Laurel Schaider.
'Children's bodies are still developing and are especially sensitive to chemical exposures. It makes sense that parents would want to steer clear of products that contain ingredients that could impact their children's health now and in the future.'
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'These are products that children come into close contact with every day and over a long period of time. Given the toxicity of PFAS and the fact that the chemicals don't serve a critical function, they should not be allowed in products,' says co-author Kathryn Rodgers, a doctoral student at Boston University School of Public Health.
The clothing was manufactured in China? The toxicity might weaken the body's ability to fight infections? Sounds like we need a new "vaccine".
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