Anti-fast-fashion advocates frequently bemoan that clothing is now designed to be worn just a few times and thrown away. But what about the ultimate ultra-fast fashion: Halloween costumes? These are designed, quite literally, to be worn once. By the following year, the pop-culture reference is stale, and the flimsy polyester is in the landfill.

With no incentive for quality, costume makers can get sloppy. The Center for Environmental Health has found substances such as lead, cadmium and BPA in costume pieces from both Halloween Express and Spirit Halloween at levels that “would have exceeded the amount deemed by [California] to require a warning”, says CEH science lead Mihir Vohra.

Read the full article by Alden Wicker on The Guardian.