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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