When Golf Refugees investigated the Restricted Substance Lists (RSL’s) of leading sportswear brands we found PFC chemicals; PFOA and PFOS - used for water repellent and stain resistant properties in textiles.
Below is the astounding story about DuPont secretly poisoning people for decades with PFOA also known as Teflon.
“Bilott learned from the documents that 3M and DuPont had been conducting secret medical studies on PFOA for more than four decades. In 1961, DuPont researches found that the chemical could increase the size of the liver in rats and rabbits. A year later, they replicated these results in studies with dogs. PFOA’s peculiar chemical structure made it uncannily resistant to degradation. It also bound to plasma proteins in the blood, circulating through each organ in the body. In the 1970’s, DuPont discovered that there were high concentrations of PFOA in the blood of factory workers at Washington Works. They did not tell their workers this. In 1981, 3M – which continued to serve as the supplier of PFOA to DuPont and other corporations – found that ingestion of the substance caused birth defects in rats. After 3M shared this information, DuPont tested the children of pregnant employees in their Teflon division. Of seven births, two had eye defects. DuPont did not make this information public.
In 1984, DuPont became aware that dust vented from factory chimneys settled well beyond the property line and, more disturbing, that PFOA was present in the local water supply. DuPont declined to disclose this finding. In 1991, DuPont scientists determined an internal safety limit for PFOA concentration in drinking water; one part per billon. The same year, DuPont found that water in one local district contained PFOA levels at three times that figure. Despite internal debate, it declined to make the information public.” – NYTimesMag
As mere consumers we are all 'kept in the dark' guinea pigs by the powerful chemical industry. Chemical classifications need to be listed on all consumer products. There is currently no disclosure of any chemical information on clothing to consumers and yet a quarter of the world’s chemicals are used to produce textiles. And when brands refuse to provide chemical information upon request, consumers need to ask themselves whether or not to trust those brands and their products. Ignore the marketing and sport star endorsements. Chemical transparency is the only way forward for public health.
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