NIKE, ADIDAS AND PUMA FOOTBALL SHIRT SHAME

BEUC, Europe's consumer watchdog have discovered that chemicals used in official team strips in Poland, Spain, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Italy, France, Holland and Portugal, all produced by Adidas, Nike and Puma, showed all nine national shirts contained "worrying" levels of chemicals.

In an embarrassing turn of events the shirts of tournament co-hosts Poland are so bad they should be banned, said BEUC, the umbrella group representing the EU's national consumer organisations.

Lead, a heavy metal, was found in the team strip of six of the countries - Spain, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, France and Italy.

In kits from Spain and Germany, lead exceeded the legal level for children's products and Portuguese and Dutch shirts also contained nickel.

A BEUC statement said: "Host country Poland's shirt should be banned outright from shops as it contains an organotin compound, used to prevent sweat odour, in higher doses than the legal limit. Organotin can be toxic to the nervous system."

Another chemical, nonylphenol, which is banned from waste water because of its harmful effect on the environment, was found in Spain and Italy shirts.

BEUC director-general Monique Goyens said: "Football fans pay up to €90 (£73) for the shirt of their favourite team. The least they should expect is to have a quality and safe product.

"It is inexplicable that heavy metals are used in mass consumer products. It is clearly foul play by manufacturers to use substances harmful to both people and the environment.

"Our members' test results are a sad reminder that Europe's chemicals legislation is unfit for the purpose of banning dangerous substances from consumer products."

BEUC is now calling for a forthcoming review of current EU chemicals legislation to be used to tighten controls against potentially harmful and toxic "chemical cocktails" in retail goods. Ms Goyens said a [;an to deal with "endocrine-disrupting chemicals" would be an opportunity for the RU to be on the offensive against harmful chemicals."

-----------------------------------------