Stain-resistant school uniforms could expose children to harmful chemicals
Children who wear stain-resistant school uniforms may be exposed to potentially harmful levels of chemicals, according to a new study by researchers in the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and colleagues from the University of Toronto, the University of Notre Dame and the Green Science Policy Institute.About a quarter of U.S. children wear school uniforms, according to a survey from Statista. One-fifth of U.S. public schools require uniforms, with the greatest prevalence in elementary and low-income schools. They are even more common in Catholic and other private schools in the United States and Canada.The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, found that millions of schoolchildren in the U.S. and Canada are exposed to potentially harmful levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, through their uniforms. The researchers detected PFAS in all of the stain-resistant school uniforms they tested from nine popular brands. Most products had concentrations as high as those in outdoor clothing."PFAS don't belong in any clothing, but their use in school uniforms is particularly concerning," said Marta Venier, senior author and professor at Indiana University. "School uniforms are worn directly on the skin for up to eight hours per day by children, who are particularly vulnerable to harm."Some PFAS have been associated with a wide variety of serious heal...
