Yahoo – AFP,
January 25, 2016
Berlin (AFP) - Greenpeace said Monday that hazardous chemicals were "widely present" in a range of outdoor gear it tested, from clothing and footwear to backpacks, tents and sleeping bags
Greenpeace said that hazardous chemicals were "widely present" in a range of outdoor gear including brands like The North Face (AFP Photo/Eric Piermont) |
Berlin (AFP) - Greenpeace said Monday that hazardous chemicals were "widely present" in a range of outdoor gear it tested, from clothing and footwear to backpacks, tents and sleeping bags
The
environmental activist group said out of 40 products tested, only four were
free of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs).
The study
showed that toxic chemicals are "still widely present in products by
brands such as Jack Wolfskin, The North Face, Patagonia, Mammut, Norrona and
Salewa, especially in the production of footwear, trousers, sleeping bags and
some jackets," said the report.
PFCs are
used to add waterproof and dirt-repellent finishes to outdoor apparel, but are
hazardous to the environment and human health, said Greenpeace.
"Once
released into the environment most PFCs break down very slowly. They can remain
in the environment for many years after their release and are dispersed over
the entire globe," the report said.
The
pollutants have been found in secluded mountain lakes and snow, can accumulate
in the livers of Arctic polar bears and be detected in human blood, the report
said.
Greenpeace
said studies had shown that some PFCs "can cause adverse impacts ... on
the reproductive system and the immune system, as well as being potentially
carcinogenic in animal tests".
The group
said an independent laboratory had tested 11 jackets and eight trousers, seven
pairs of shoes, eight backpacks, two tents, two sleeping bags, one climbing
rope and one pair of gloves.
The four
products that did not contain PFCs were jackets by Vaude and Jack Wolfskin, a
backpack by Haglöfs and a pair of gloves by The North Face, said Greenpeace,
adding that this showed it is possible to produce outdoor gear without PFCs.
The group
urged all outdoor apparel companies to join its 'Detox My Fashion' campaign
that aims to quickly remove hazardous chemicals from the entire manufacturing
supply chain of the textiles industry.
"Phasing
out PFCs by 2020, as some outdoor clothing brands aspire to do, is not
ambitious enough," the group said.
"It is
not acceptable that their products continue to release persistent and
potentially hazardous chemicals into the environment for another five
years."
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