The Fight Continues: BPA in Activewear
The Center for Environmental Health is suing 7 brands of sports bras and 5 brands of athletic shirts after testing showed that 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, All in Motion, Nike, and FILA. The activewear shirt brands include The North Face, Mizuno, Athleta, New Balance, and Reebok.
CEH sent legal notices of our intent to sue to these companies back in October of 2022. CEH uses public interest litigation and the power of right-to-know laws like California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (aka Proposition 65) to force the removal of toxic chemicals from consumer products.
BPA, a well-studied hormone disrupting chemical, mimics estrogen and can disrupt the normal functioning of the body, including metabolism, growth and development, and reproduction.
To date, CEH’s investigations have found BPA in polyester-based clothing with spandex, including socks made for infants. Since 2021, CEH has taken action against approximately 100 companies to pressure them to reformulate their products to remove all bisphenols including BPA, and some have already agreed to do so.
“People should not be exposed to toxic chemicals in their clothing. Nor should they bear the burden of knowing which brands could harm your health and which will not,” says Kaya Sugerman, Director of the Illegal Toxic Threats program at CEH. “Corporations should make their products safe for everyone’s health and the environment.”
Sign our petition to tell fashion CEOs to take toxic BPA out of activewear.
BPA in Activewear: In the Press