Study finds 'high' lead levels in low-cost fashion accessories

Leather and faux-leather handbags, wallets, shoes and belts from popular low-cost retailers may contain “shocking” levels of lead, a carcinogen and reproductive toxicant that can pose permanent and irreversible harm to babies and babies. to children, a new study warned this week. .

Over the past decade, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has sent Burlington, Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx nearly 500 notices – 300 to the first two stores alone – alerting them of the issue. And while the rest of the fashion industry has turned away from selling lead-containing accessories, the California-based watchdog group said, these discounters have continued to do so.

In 2022 alone, more than 25% of the 1,950 leather and faux leather items purchased at Burlington and Ross stores in San Diego, Los Angeles and the Bay Area and tested by CEH contained elevated lead levels exceeding 300 parts per million, according to Consumer Product Safety. Commission legal limit for heavy metals in children's products.

“Our sampling was conducted by investigators who specifically targeted products that they suspected might contain lead based on their prior sampling and testing experience,” the report states. “These results do not reflect random sampling by an average consumer shopping in Ross or Burlington. Nonetheless, Ross and Burlington's continued sale of these numerous lead-containing products is concerning.

The brands that recorded the highest lead levels were Atalina, Andiamo and CL by Laundry for shoes, Dollhouse, Elizabeth & Nicole and Pink Label Vintage Collection for belts and <3 Vegan, S and Park Ave for shoulder bags. hand.

None of the department stores responded to a request for comment.

Health experts agree that there is no “safe” level of lead, which can rub off products on hands and enter the body through the mouth. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, lead can circulate in the blood and build up in bones. Depending on the degree of exposure, it can cause damage to the nervous, immune, reproductive and cardiovascular systems, as well as interfere with kidney function.

CEH’s work in anti-lead advocacy goes back several years. In 2010 and 2011, the organization used California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as Proposition 65, to negotiate legal settlements with 200 companies, which agreed to eliminate all traces of lead in the leather and faux leather accessories they sell. manufactured, distributed for resale or sold under a private label. Since then, CEH has regularly tested these companies' products to verify these promises.

“Each year of testing, we noticed that lead levels in fashion accessories appeared to decrease,” the release said. “In fact, it has become more difficult over the years to find fashion accessories sold at big box, department stores and fast fashion retailers in California with a detectable trail, a testament to the resounding success of focused deals on public health that we have concluded with large companies and their commitment to removing lead from fashion accessories.

At the same time, the study found that the problem persists with off-price retailers who, as McKinsey & Co. once described them, operate under a business model that “relies on buying overproduced or surplus products.” …at a lower price.” sell to consumers at a reduced rate. Burlington and Ross, in particular, cater to low-income consumers, CEH said. Compared to TJX Companies' affluent clientele, people who shop in Ross and Burlington generally report lower-than-average income levels, according to a 2018 Coresight study.

Many stores are also located in communities that already face disproportionate environmental, health and socioeconomic pressures, according to census data. This, CEH adds, makes the situation even more problematic, because “working or shopping in these stores should not put people at greater risk of exposure to toxic chemicals.”

In 2022, the organization discovered that more than half of the lead-containing paraphernalia it purchased in Burlington and Ross had Proposition 65 warnings on it, although some of them were “hidden” in fine print on labels inside handbags or on the soles of shoes. She also observed that the interior lining of faux leather handbags and wallets contained lead more frequently than the exterior surface. Ersatz leathers derived from PVC or polyurethane also generally contained more lead than their cowhide counterparts.

“Burlington, Ross, TJX and all other off-price retailers are required to protect their customers and workers,” the report states. “These multi-billion dollar companies have attempted to implement chemical management policies in recent years (Burlington, 2022, TJX, 2021), but we still found fashion accessories containing lead in their stores. They must prioritize removing lead from their store shelves, not only by adopting stricter chemical management policies, but also by enforcing them and ensuring their effectiveness.