Too-high levels of toxic chemicals found in 10% of women’s underwear

Women’s underwear can contain dangerously high levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, according to laboratory testing from consumer watchdogs in Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.

The group – which also included the Czech environmental advocacy group Arnika – looked for bisphenols, which are synthetic chemicals that are used to make plastic and can harm human health.

The most common form is bisphenol A, which is classified as a hazardous chemical in the European Union and mainly used in industrial manufacturing, for example for food packaging, storage containers, medical devices, paper, inks, and textiles.

Bisphenols have also shown up in synthetic clothing materials, prompting the group to test 166 types of women’s underwear from Hungary, Austria, and Slovenia for their presence.

They found that 30 per cent of underwear samples had some form of bisphenols, while 10 per cent had bisphenol levels that were higher than what regulators say is safe for human health.

Notably, bisphenol levels were higher in “products from well-known brands” than in cheaper underwear. Cotton underwear was also unlikely to contain bisphenols regardless of the brand.

“Although cotton products are available for women, our initial market research showed that [the] majority of women’s panties are made from synthetic materials,” Júlia Dénes, a chemist at the Hungarian Association of Conscious Consumers, said in a statement.

“This immediately implies a greater risk of exposure to bisphenols”.

Regulation ‘lags behind scientific evidence’

Bisphenol A can affect people’s fertility, cause eye damage, irritate the lungs, lead to allergic skin reactions, disrupt the hormone system, and affect cognitive function and metabolism, according to the European Environment Agency.

Most exposure is through food and drink, but it’s also possible that people absorb the chemical through their skin.

Last year, EU-funded lab tests found bisphenol A in 92 per cent of people’s urine across 11 European countries, and in many cases above European safety thresholds.

The substance is already banned in some products, such as baby bottles and food packaging for toddlers, and it’s limited in others, such as children’s toys.

In June, European countries backed a plan to ban bisphenol A in food and drink packaging across the EU.

Based on the new results, Arnika said bisphenols and other substances that can affect people’s health should be banned in all consumer products.

“Unfortunately, manufacturers are replacing [bisphenol A] with other types of bisphenols, which can pose similar health risks [and] are not banned yet,” Karolina Brabcova, consumer campaigns manager with Arnika’s toxics and waste programme, said in a statement.

“The regulatory action clearly lags behind the scientific evidence,” she added.