Fashion articles of animal furs contain cancerous substances

Chemical pollution in fur products

Many fur articles are loaded with considerable residues of chemicals. The wearing of the fur products is potentially harmful to health and contains allergenic and cancer-causing substances, according to a recent product analysis.

(06.12.2010) On behalf of the international animal welfare organization "FOUR PAWS", the company specialized in product safety "EcoAid 15" has investigated various fur products for toxic residues. As a result, pet fur fashion articles are often heavily contaminated with toxic chemicals, and in 5 of the garments tested, even the industry standard for the chemical formaldehyde was exceeded. The garments are potentially harmful to health, said Manfred Krautter study director of the analysis company EcoAid. The animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS announced that it would file an appeal with the Federal Office of Consumer Protection.

While the manufacturers of their fur products as „natural products“ According to the current EcoAid study, the reality looks significantly different. For example, the preliminary investigation had already shown that exposure to the four particularly hazardous chemicals formaldehyde, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEO), chloroparaffins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) could be detected in almost all fur articles. Thus, in the preliminary investigation, 14 of the 15 fur articles were found to contain appropriate chemicals. These 14 articles were then individually analyzed in detail by a special laboratory of the Bremen Environmental Institute during the main investigation. It turned out that only one of the 14 articles „moderately burdened“, half of the fur products, on the other hand „considerably burdened and not recommended“ is. Six of the seven heavily charged articles were even called „heavily loaded, potentially hazardous to health and not recommended“ classified.

Thirteen furs (77 percent) exceeded the formaldehyde limit of 30 mg / kg of the EU Toy Toy Tissues Directive. In five samples (38 percent), even the maximum value for adults of the industry standards Oeko-Tex 100 and SG leather of 75 mg / kg was not met, said the scientists of EcoAid. As formaldehyde is toxic, carcinogenic and causes allergies, these fur products are neither suitable for children nor for adults, the experts said when publishing their findings. In addition, when investigating the exposure to nonylphenol ethoxylates that are banned in the EU, the scientists were able to detect NPEO in eight samples, EcoAid said. According to the EcoAid study, the fur hood of a children's jacket was particularly heavily loaded at just under 3000 milligrams per kilogram. In the EU, the sale of chemical products containing more than 1000 mg / kg of NPEO is prohibited. In two further samples, this limit was reached 80%. The industry standards for leather and fur (SG leather) for which a maximum value of 100 mg / kg is set for NPEOs have been exceeded in 6 of the 10 samples, the scientists from EcoAid also said.

The fur hood of the children's jacket was the most heavily loaded with both NPEO and formaldehyde, although the children's clothing piece according to the study authors should not even be sold as a chemical product. The fur hood contained 450 mg / kg of formaldehyde, with the EU limit on textile children's toys at most 30 milligrams per kilogram allow the NPEO load was three times the permitted limit for the sale of chemical products, the scientists said. „Damage to health - especially for sensitive children - can not be ruled out with such values“, emphasized Manfred Krautter of EcoAid.

Although no limit values ​​were exceeded for polycyclical aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of the PAHs are thought to be carcinogenic and should be included in certain fur articles, according to EcoAid. The benchmark of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment of 0.2 mg / kg carcinogenic PAH should therefore serve as a health indicator for consumers. This guideline value was exceeded in one of the tested fur articles. The burden of the fur products with chlorinated paraffins is also critical in the opinion of scientists EcoAid, as they accumulate in the body and are also suspected to be carcinogenic.

In addition to the four primary proven chemicals, the scientists have also identified many other potentially hazardous chemicals that were found to be very minor, yet further increase the health risk posed by the furs. Because fur products such as scarves, collars, ear warmers or hoods made of fur are usually worn directly on the skin, the pollutants can also easily pass into the body of the wearer, so the statement in the current study.

In the conclusion of the study prepared for the animal welfare organization "FOUR PAWS" the experts of EcoAid come to the conclusion that „a large proportion of the fur products sold in Germany contains a large number of toxic chemicals“, the samples analyzed often contained pollutant concentrations that could severely affect their health. Moreover, the increased exceedance of the specified limit values ​​is unacceptable for the experts. „The fur and fashion industry as well as the retail trade must ensure that as far as possible no dangerous chemicals are used in fur production and that potentially harmful health risks to workers and consumers are excluded“, Animal Welfare Organization FOUR PAWS said in the publication of the current findings. Above all, the manufacturers have to ensure that the legal limit values, official guidelines and the maximum values ​​of industry standards are met, emphasized the scientists of EcoAid. The Federal Government and the EU are also responsible for developing limit values ​​for the areas not yet covered. Finally, the experts of EcoAid and FOUR PAWS recommend the consumers not only for the sake of animal welfare but also as a precautionary health protection entirely to the purchase of fur products. (Fp)

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Picture credits: Templar master