The cancer-causing forever chemicals lurking in your closet… and the major brands and types of clothes that are putting YOU at risk
The dangers of exposure to ‘forever chemicals’ lurk around every corner – in pots and pans, cleaning supplies and even your clothes – posing a laundry list of health risks ranging from cancers to pregnancy complications.
Forever chemicals – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also called PFAS – are nicknamed as such because of their extreme durability. Once they enter the body and environment, these chemicals can remain there for years and even lifetimes.
Their moisture-wicking and water-repelling properties make PFAS a popular choice for workout wear, outdoor gear, shoes, bags and stain-resistant fabrics.
However, your skin is your largest organ and it absorbs chemicals it comes into contact with from everything from cleaning supplies to clothing. PFAS don’t bond permanently to fabric, so with every wash, sweat and wear, microscopic flakes can rub off onto your skin.
Researchers have estimated that between 65 percent and 72 percent of stain- or water-resistant clothing is made with forever chemicals.
Many athletic and outdoor brands spray or soak PFAS into fabric to create a water-repellent layer — keeping athletes dry and gear looking clean. And a study of public school uniforms in the US and Canada found that every single one contained PFAS.
Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into activewear giant Lululemon over alleged PFAS contamination in clothes. In response, Lululemon said that all use of forever chemicals was phased out three years ago.
But Lululemon is far from the only major brand to use PFAS in its clothing. The chemicals have been found in clothing from popular retailers, including the Gap, REI and Walmart.
The majority of clothing sold around the world contains PFAS. Scientists estimate that roughly two-thirds to nearly three-quarters of all stain- or water-resistant garments are made with these chemicals
A 2022 report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, Fashion FWD and US PIRG Education Fund graded major clothing brands on their PFAS-use policies.
Researchers surveyed 30 major clothing brands and retailers, asking for details about their PFAS policies. They did not test the clothing for the presence of these chemicals.
They graded each company on five things: whether they answered the survey, how quickly they promised to eliminate PFAS (faster generated a better score), how many products were covered by the policy, such as jackets, shoes and bags, whether their policy was public and whether they actually tested their products to make sure PFAS was gone.
Since the report was issued four years ago, many companies have made strides to eliminate PFAS from their clothing and implement policies to keep them out, such as Lululemon.
The highest scorers in 2022 were led by Levi Strauss & Co, which earned an A+ for its comprehensive ban on all PFAS across its Levi’s and Dockers brands. Victoria’s Secret followed closely with an A for phasing out the chemicals from its supply chain.
Researchers behind the report gave Ralph Lauren, Gap Inc and American Eagle B grades, putting them in the upper tier for eliminating the toxic compounds. Patagonia also earned a B, having already initiated moves to eradicate PFAS, which was completed in 2024.
The lowest scorers in the 2022 report included a cluster of major retailers, including Kohl’s, Nordstrom, JCPenney, Macy’s and Walmart, all receiving F grades, meaning they had not disclosed policy at the time to address PFAS in their clothing.
Researchers also gave popular outdoor brands like Columbia Sportswear, REI and Merrell Fs.
Luxury brands fared no better: Capri Holdings, which includes Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo, and Tapestry, which owns Coach and Kate Spade, also got Fs.
Shanna Bynes Bradford, a licensed medical aesthetician and clinical skincare formulator, said: ‘Many clothing brands are only looking at cutting costs and reducing manufacturing overhead, so oftentimes the focus is not to put the consumer’s health at the forefront. The focus is on reducing costs and meeting demand, unfortunately.’
It is worth noting that the study was conducted in 2022, meaning the clothes tested were likely made in 2021 or earlier. At that time, the industry’s understanding of PFAS dangers was still emerging.
The focus back then was primarily on the chemicals’ effectiveness at keeping people dry, not yet on the long-term health risks experts recognize today.
Bradford added: ‘There are some clothing brands that do care about sustainability and implement safe processing and manufacturing practices to keep consumers as the main focus.’
A spokesperson from outdoor apparel giant LL Bean told the Daily Mail: ‘As of fall of 2024, all LL Bean labeled products are manufactured with PFAS-free durable water repellent (DWR) alternatives.’
A spokesperson from the Gap, which also owns Old Navy and Athleta, told the Daily Mail: ‘Our chemicals policy and impact reports are available at gapinc.com, but please note that we do not intentionally use PFAS in any of our products.’
The Daily Mail reached out to other brands for comment but did not receive a response.
Research published in a 2024 issue of Environment International proved, ‘for the first time,’ that these sinister chemicals can leach into the skin from PFAS-laden clothes.
University of Birmingham researchers used lab-grown tissue that mimics human skin to determine how much of a PFAS dose can be absorbed.
They found that skin-to-chemical contact is ‘a significant source of exposure to these harmful chemicals.’
The skin absorbed a ‘substantial’ amount of 15 different PFAS, including 13.5 percent of PFOA — one of the most common and toxic types of forever chemicals. When left on the skin for longer, PFOA absorption jumped to 38 percent.
No amount of PFOA exposure is safe.
Bradford told the Daily Mail that smaller molecules actually penetrate skin more easily.
In one case, nearly 60 percent of a short-chain compound was absorbed by the skin.
‘Molecule sizes play a huge role and factor in dermal absorption rate via skin transport and absorption,’ she said.
‘The smaller the molecule size, the faster it is absorbed into the skin or via direct contact, and larger molecule sizes often don’t absorb or have a slower absorption or penetrate due to being blocked by the surface.’
When you exercise, your pores open and your skin warms up, conditions that may increase absorption.
Wearing PFAS-treated workout leggings or a rain shell against warm, damp skin for hours could allow these chemicals to migrate more easily.
And these PFAS chemicals have been linked to an array of cancers.
A 2023 study in Environmental Health Perspectives examined blood levels of PFAS among active-duty Air Force servicemen and testicular cancer, the most common cancer among young adult men and US servicemen.
The graphic shows that among people who had their blood drawn at least one year before a thyroid cancer diagnosis, higher levels of five PFAS chemicals were linked to a significantly increased risk of developing the disease
Researchers analyzed blood samples from 530 cancer cases and 530 matched controls. They found that elevated levels of PFOS, a specific PFAS chemical, were linked to a higher risk of testicular cancer.
Kidney cancer also has strong links to PFOA. In 2020, researchers measured PFAS levels in blood samples from 324 people who later developed kidney cancer and compared them to 324 similar people who did not.
They found that every doubling of PFOA in the blood raised kidney cancer risk by 71 percent. People with the highest levels had more than double the risk of those with the lowest.
Thyroid cancer risk is also tied to forever chemicals’ endocrine-disrupting properties. In a 2023 report in eBioMedicine, researchers at Mount Sinai in New York City compared plasma PFAS levels in 88 thyroid cancer patients and 88 matched healthy controls.
Most patients had papillary thyroid cancer, the most common type. Each doubling of a PFAS chemical called n-PFOS was linked to a 56 percent higher rate of thyroid cancer.
The link was even stronger among people whose blood was drawn a year or more before their cancer diagnosis, suggesting PFAS exposure came first.
Because these chemicals are engineered to be nearly indestructible, they accumulate. And every wash sends PFAS particles into the environment, contaminating the waterways and soil and, eventually, our drinking water.
