Toxic chemicals in school uniforms face ban

Peers are being urged to ban synthetic fibres and ‘forever chemicals’ in school uniforms due to concerns over long-term health risks from regular exposure.

The call follows two proposed amendments to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill, which is currently at committee stage in the House of Lords.

The bill, which applies mainly to England and Wales, also includes provisions on uniform affordability and limits on branded items.

Amendments 202A and 202B seek to restrict harmful substances such as Pfas chemicals and synthetic fibres, which campaigners warn could affect children’s health throughout their lives.

Green party peer Natalie Bennett, who is backing both amendments, warned about the growing risk from combined chemical exposure.

She said: “What we’re failing to grasp is the cocktail effect, which is the fact that all of us, but particularly our children, are being exposed to microplastics and nanoplastics.

“We’re being exposed to Pfas, we’re being exposed to pesticides. And the level of all of these things is mounting up all of the time.”

Bennett added: “The phrase ‘cocktail effect’ comes from river campaigners who started to focus on the environmental impact of this. But actually [this is] what’s happening to human bodies.”

Pfas – or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a family of thousands of chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant properties.

They degrade extremely slowly in the body and environment, and some have been linked to health issues such as high cholesterol, fertility problems, immune system disorders, kidney disease, birth defects and certain cancers.

Researchers have detected Pfas and microplastics in human blood, semen, lungs, breast milk, bone marrow, placenta, testicles and brain tissue, raising concerns about their cumulative effect on health.

Amendment 202A proposes an almost immediate ban on Pfas in school uniforms and would require manufacturers to provide digital product passports listing the chemicals used.

Amendment 202B seeks action within 12 months on uniforms that may “endanger the health or safety of persons [or] cause unreasonable public health or environmental health risk”, with a particular focus on artificial fibres.

In 2021, synthetic fibres made up 64 per cent of global fibre production for the apparel industry.

While exact data for school uniforms is lacking, anecdotal evidence suggests most are made from synthetic materials, with natural alternatives marketed as exceptions.

Concerns about synthetic fibres stem from their environmental persistence and the shedding of microfibres – plastic strands less than 5mm in length – into ecosystems and now human bodies.

Research has shown clothing can shed up to 400 microfibres per gram during just 20 minutes of normal wear.

Unlike plastic pollution from discarded garments, this shedding occurs simply through everyday use.

Bennett said: “It’s obviously breathed in.

“So you know, you run for the bus in your blazer, you’re probably taking in great gulps of plastics, straight into your lungs and potentially into your bloodstream.

“And also of course, you know, you touch it and then you touch your mouth and you can also orally ingest it.”

While the full health impacts of microfibres remain under investigation, early research suggests links to oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease.

Dr David Santillo, senior scientist at Greenpeace Research Laboratories, said: “Most parents are probably not aware that the uniforms their children are required to wear may be treated with a mix of forever chemicals, something that is almost impossible to tell from the label.

“Although some Pfas are already banned in textiles, there are many more still in widespread use.

“Only a ban on the whole group will be effective in reducing children’s exposure to these chemicals while they are at school.”