Abstract
High levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been found on school uniforms available throughout the US and Canada, which means millions of children are potentially exposed to these compounds ( Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02111 ). Exposure to PFAS has been associated with a number of negative health effects, including increased risk of liver disease and cancer and reduced vaccine effectiveness. According to the study’s senior author, Indiana University environmental chemist Marta Venier, children are especially vulnerable to these risks because of their small size and developing bodies. “We really don’t need more information to decide that it’s not a good idea to use PFAS in children’s items,” she says. Yet PFAS are frequently applied to uniforms to make them more stain resistant. Researchers suspect that a fraction of these compounds could be absorbed by the skin whenever a child wears the garment. Some of the more
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