Health and Me

Rachel V Thomas

Your Kids’ Fast-fashion Clothing May Be Laced With High Levels of Toxic Lead

While you may be buying fast-fashion clothes that are easy on your pocket and also give your children trendy looks, a new study highlights the risk of being laced with a highly toxic ingredient: lead.

The preliminary research, based on lab tests of several shirts from different retailers in the US, found that all the samples exceeded the country’s federal regulatory lead limits.  

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission currently has a 100 parts per million (ppm) lead limit for children's products like toys and clothing.

"I started to see many articles about lead in clothing from fast fashion, and I realized not too many parents knew about the issue," said Kamila Deavers, principal investigator of the study, at Marian University in the US.

Deavers began the study after her young daughter’s lab reports showed elevated levels of lead in her blood from toy coatings. 

The team tested 11 shirts that spanned the rainbow—red, pink, orange, yellow, gray, and blue.  All brightly colored fabrics, particularly reds and yellows, showed higher levels of lead compared to more muted tones.

"We saw that the shirts we tested were all over the allowed limit for lead of 100 ppm," said Priscila Espinoza, from Marina.

The researchers explained that some manufacturers use lead (II) acetate as an inexpensive way to help dyes stick to the materials and produce bright, long-lasting color.  

The researchers found the risk is particularly higher among younger kids as they tend to playfully suck or chew their clothes during play.

"Even briefly chewing these fabrics could expose children to dangerous lead levels,” they found in the study, to be presented at the forthcoming meeting of the American Chemical Society.  

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lead exposure can lead to behavior problems, brain and central nervous system damage, as well as other negative health effects in children.

The agency considers children under six years old to be most at risk from exposure.  Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in: 

<ul><li>Behavior and learning problems </li><li>Lower IQ and Hyperactivity </li><li>Slowed growth </li><li>Hearing Problems </li><li>Anemia </li></ul>In rare cases, ingestion of lead can cause seizures, coma, and even death.

The researchers also pointed out safer alternatives to lead-based dyeing agents that already exist. These include natural and less harmful substances such as: 

<ul><li>Plant-based tannins (e.g., oak bark, pomegranate peel) </li><li>Rosemary </li><li>Alum.</li></ul>

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While you may be buying fast-fashion clothes that are easy on your pocket and also give your children trendy looks, a new study highlights the risk of being laced with a highly toxic ingredient: lead. The preliminary research, based on lab tests of several shirts from different retailers in the US, found that all the samples exceeded the country’s federal regulatory lead limits.  The US Consumer Product Safety Commission currently has a 100 parts per million (ppm) lead limit for children's products like toys and clothing. "I started to see many articles about lead in clothing from fast fashion, and I realized not too many parents knew about the issue," said Kamila Deavers, principal investigator of the study, at Marian University in the US.  Deavers began the study after her young daughter’s lab reports showed elevated levels of lead in her blood from toy coatings. How was study conducted? The team tested 11 shirts that spanned the rainbow—red, pink, orange, yellow, gray, and blue.  All brightly colored fabrics, particularly reds and yellows, showed higher levels of lead compared to more muted tones."We saw that the shirts we tested were all over the allowed limit for lead of 100 ppm," said Priscila Espinoza, from Marina.The researchers explained that some manufacturers use lead (II) acetate as an inexpensive way to help dyes stick to the materials and produce bright, long-lasting color.  Children At Greater Risk  The researchers found the risk is particularly higher among younger kids as they tend to playfully suck or chew their clothes during play."Even briefly chewing these fabrics could expose children to dangerous lead levels,” they found in the study, to be presented at the forthcoming meeting of the American Chemical Society.  According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lead exposure can lead to behavior problems, brain and central nervous system damage, as well as other negative health effects in children. The agency considers children under six years old to be most at risk from exposure.  Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in: Behavior and learning problems Lower IQ and Hyperactivity Slowed growth Hearing Problems Anemia In rare cases, ingestion of lead can cause seizures, coma, and even death.The researchers also pointed out safer alternatives to lead-based dyeing agents that already exist. These include natural and less harmful substances such as: Plant-based tannins (e.g., oak bark, pomegranate peel)  Rosemary  Alum.

your kids’ fast-fashion clothing may be laced with high levels of toxic lead

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