Rebecca Meuninck submitted a video and has a challenge for people who don’t want flame retardants, phthalates, or other toxic chemicals in the objects they cherish, like a favorite sweatshirt. While Columbia College doesn’t have Big Ten athletics, students and faculty do have University Themed gear, often from our favorite sports-centric universities.
Phthalates are banned by the Consumer Product and Safety Council CPSC. Some of the products hawked to college sports fans have lead levels that exceed CPSC regulation according to HealthyStuff.org. The seat cushion you sit on, the jersey you wear and that koozie that keeps your drink cool might contain harmful chemicals that are linked to asthma, birth defects, learning disabilities, reproductive problems, liver toxicity, and cancer.
HealthyStuff.org is taking a look into the hazardous chemicals in University Themed products. They uncovered some pretty nasty stuff and you can see the results in the “March Badness” study.
You can learn more about MTP or Most Toxic Product and vote to help choose one of four teams Duke University, Minnesota University, Texas University and Oregon State University — last team in the Shameful Sixteen.
These MTP brackets lay out the toxicity rating of team themed products. Top Ten Retailers offer these products without warnings to consumers. Michigan State University Seat Cushions, sold at Kroger, and University of Florida Lunch Bags and University of Central Florida Car Mats, from Wal-Mart, contained both lead and phthalates. Check out the results.
Many of the chemicals we found in the study contain chemicals of concern identified as Hazardous 100+ chemicals. HealthyStuff.org and our partners in the Mind the Store Campaign are asking the Top Ten Retailers to stop playing dirty by getting toxic chemicals out of the product on their store shelves. Join us in asking them to clean up their act.
By: Rebecca Meuninck, Environmental Health Campaign Director, Ecology Center & HealthyStuff.org
