Toxic chemicals on your clothes and you probably don’t even know it

 

Tell Columbia Sportswear: End the use of Toxic "Forever" Chemicals! Major outdoor brand Columbia Sportswear continues to use a highly toxic and unnecessary chemical called PFAS in its products. PFAS chemicals are associated with serious health risks like liver damage, thyroid disease, and cancer — and when clothing containing these "forever" chemicals are made, washed, and disposed of, those chemicals contaminate our environment and drinking water. Sign our petition urging Columbia Sportswear to end its use of PFAS!  TAKE ACTION

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The clothes you have on right now could contain a dangerous mix of toxic "forever" chemicals, and you wouldn't even know it. That's the threat from PFAS chemicals — a family of approximately 12,000 dangerous synthetic chemicals widely used in the apparel industry to make clothes more water- and stain-resistant. These chemicals can cause serious illnesses including liver damage, impact to child development, and cancer. PFAS also pollute drinking water supplies for an estimated more than 200 million people in the U.S., and don't break down in the environment — earning the name "forever" chemicals. A new report and scorecard from NRDC show that while many leading apparel brands are reducing their use of PFAS, major outdoor apparel company Columbia Sportswear gets an F for continuing to use this highly toxic and pervasive chemical. And it needs to end now. NRDC and its partners are putting Columbia Sportswear on notice, demanding the company change its practices and end its use of PFAS. But consumers like you can play an especially important role in this fight — and we need your help to build a groundswell of public pressure that's too powerful for Columbia to ignore. Send your letter to Columbia CEO Timothy Boyle, demanding the company end its use of toxic PFAS chemicals! PFAS don't breakdown easily in the environment, or when they do, they break down into more PFAS. And when clothes containing PFAS are made, washed, or disposed of, the chemicals contaminate our environment and travel freely into our body through the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the clothes we wear every day. PFAS exposure is linked to severe illnesses such as thyroid disease, liver and kidney damage, reproductive harm, and reduced response to vaccines. And after accumulating in our blood, lungs, kidneys, and other organs, they can take years to be flushed out. It's time to end the use of PFAS in our clothes. Help us build a massive public outcry and demand Columbia Sportswear change its practices for the good of our health and our environment! And here's the kicker about Columbia's refusal to act: PFAS chemicals aren't even needed anymore! Industry leaders are already adopting alternative designs and chemicals that do the same job without the multitude of health risks that are associated with even low levels of exposure to PFAS. Make no mistake: Columbia depends on consumers like you and I to keep the company in business. If enough consumers demand change, they'll have no choice but to phase out these toxic chemicals. That's why it's critical we wage this massive public awareness campaign against the company and demand they stop using PFAS in their products! Add your name to our petition against Columbia Sportswear today, and we'll get it over to Columbia HQ, ensuring your powerful voice is heard loud and clear. Thank you for standing with us. Sincerely, Sujatha Bergen Senior Advocate, People and Communities, NRDC

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