The Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has conducted new research on the content of bisphenol A (BPA) in sports apparel. The institute has checked sports bras from different brands, including Athleta, Pink, Asics, The North Face, Brooks, All in Motion, Nike and Fila, as well as athletic shirts from The North Face, Brooks, Mizuno, Athleta, New Balance and Reebok. The testing resulted in legal notices to those eight brands of sports bras, and six brands of athletic shirts as the clothing could expose individuals to up to 22 times the safe limit of the chemical BPA, according to California law.
BPA, a well-studied hormone-disrupting chemical, mimics estrogen and can disrupt the normal functioning of the body, including metabolism, growth and development and reproduction. To date, CEH’s investigations have found BPA in polyester-based clothing with spandex, including socks made for infants. Throughout 2021, CEH has already pushed more than 90 companies to reformulate their products to remove all bisphenols, including BPA, and some have already agreed to do so.
