Some clothes and accessories manufactured by the fast-fashion giant Shein contain unhealthy levels of lead, as of August 2022.
Fact Check
The fast fashion approach to clothing manufacture and marketing is known for its disregard of environmental and labor regulations. In October 2021, concerns grew around toxic materials found in products manufactured by the Chinese retail giant Shein. And, about a year later, those accusations made a comeback on social media, accusing the company of making lead-contaminated products that threatened customers’ health.
The claims followed an investigation, published in October 2021, by CBC’s Marketplace, a Canadian investigative consumer watchdog. The investigation looked into 38 items, either pieces of clothing and accessories, from a range of fast-fashion retailers. They identified elevated levels of chemicals such as lead, PFAS (or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and phthalates in products manufactured by Zaful, AliExpress, and Shein.
The investigation pointed out that Health Canada’s limit for lead in children’s products was 90 kg/mg. Scientists at the University of Toronto found that a Shein jacket for toddlers had around 20 times the amount of lead that Canadian public health officials said was allowed in children’s products. The red purse had five times that limit.
CBC’s full investigation can be watched here:
Miriam Diamond, an environmental chemist and professor at the University of Toronto who oversaw the testing, said: “I’m alarmed because we’re buying what looks cute and fashionable on this incredibly short fashion cycle. What we’re doing today is to look [for] very short-lived enjoyment out of some articles of clothing that cost so much in terms of our … future health and environmental health. That cost is not worth it.”
Shein responded to the report in an email CBC’s Marketplace, saying the company had withdrawn the purse and jacket from their purchasing applications and would stop working with relevant third-party suppliers until the issue “was resolved.” However, we were unable to independently verify whether that had actually happened; there were no further details about the company’s actions in response to the report, including whether it had indeed removed the items for purchasing and cut ties with certain vendors. As of August 2022, similar-looking purses and jackets were still available on the site.
In August 2022, when social media put new attention on the matter, we reached out to Shein for more information on its steps to addressing the CBC report’s findings, and to see whether it had examined additional items across its massive inventory for possible lead contamination. We did not receive a response before publication time, though we will update this report if hear from the company. That said, it was unknown whether the CBC investigation identified all items containing elevated levels of lead within the company’s massive inventory, and/or the problem persisted.
On August 18, 2022, in response to a tweet from fashion blogger Cora Harrington, who called on people to share companies with similar chemicals in their products, Shein posted about their 2022 regulations:
In the above tweet, Shein stated that they follow product safety standards in the United States, Europe, and a number of other countries, and use materials identified as having low lead risk. In 2022, they said they worked with a number of laboratories to conduct more than 160,000 chemical tests on their raw materials and found that more than 99% of their products were determined to be safe. They also claimed to work with their suppliers to meet the necessary safety standards, and terminate agreements with suppliers who violated those standards.
This statement has not been independently verified as of yet, though it does appear that the company has been taking steps to address the concerns brought forward in the CBC investigation.
A July 2022 Bloomberg report paints a grimmer picture. Shein has a vast network of contracted manufacturers that enable the company to release thousands of new products and styles at extremely low prices. The company has become a fast-fashion behemoth, making sales worth around $16 billion in 2021 alone according to Bloomberg. Their business model resulted in accusations that its goods were made by poorly paid employees who worked in substandard conditions. The company has a zero rating from Eco-Stylist, a social-enterprise group that scores companies on their commitment to sustainability — while, for comparison, Zara and H&M have 30-point ratings. (Previously, we debunked a viral TikTok video that claimed to show a message from a Shein worker on a product pleading for help.)
Shein representatives have said the company does not tolerate labor-rights violations, but critics believe their regulations will be difficult to implement unless the company pays its suppliers more to ensure they comply with stricter labor policies.
While the lead in the clothes can’t cause immediate, drastic harm, children and toddlers could get low level exposure if they chewed the jackets or purses, and their skin is constantly in contact. Diamond pointed out that the harm can continue long-term, particularly if the little red purse deteriorates over time. She added that the harm extends to the laborers who made the product, too, who were exposed to greater amounts of lead in the manufacturing process.
What can unhealthy levels of lead do to the body? Different levels of exposure to lead can cause a range of health challenges in the brain, kidneys, blood system, and nervous system. According to Health Canada, low-level exposure can result in harmful effects on children’s development, while pregnant women have to be extremely careful as it can pass through the placenta. High-level exposure can cause “vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma or even death.”
This issue is fairly common according to Caroline Cox, a former scientist at the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health. She found that lead is used in a lot of artificial leather items, particularly brightly colored ones. Cox found around 200 companies in the United States using it in their garments and accessories, often in the form of color additives.
We should note that in the U.S. the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, “restricts children’s products, including children’s apparel and sleepwear, to a lead content limit of 100 parts per million (ppm). In addition, the use of paint or similar surface coating on children’s apparel and sleepwear must not exceed a lead content limit of 90 ppm.”
“As far as avoiding toxic chemicals in general, I personally as much as possible try to find clothing and stuff made of natural materials like cotton, wool, and leather,” Cox told Style Caster. “I think there’s fewer problems with natural materials. And if you can find what you’re looking for in organic cotton, that helps even more.”
In sum, even if Shein withdrew offending products identified in the 2021 CBC investigation like it had promised, we don’t know if other items within its catalog of hundreds and thousands of pieces — all available through Shein’s numerous manufacturers — contained dangerous levels of lead or other chemicals. The company has stated publicly that they have addressed the problem, and independently testing their materials may confirm this. Given the company’s size and global reach, it is entirely possible that the problem was bigger than the few items caught by the University of Toronto scientists.
Sources:
Benson, Lisa M., and Karen Reczek. “A Guide to United States Apparel and Household Textiles Compliance Requirements.” U.S. Department of Commerce, 2016, https://ift.tt/QCjO1tf. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
Blalock, Meghan. “Everything You Need to Know About Lead in Clothing: Who Uses It, How to Detect It, How To Avoid It.” StyleCaster, 24 Mar. 2014, https://ift.tt/Tf4rx2s. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
Cowley, Jenny, et al. “Experts Warn of High Levels of Chemicals in Clothes by Some Fast-Fashion Retailers | CBC News.” CBC, https://ift.tt/J2IlCTM. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
Cox, Caroline. “Kids Deserve Toxic-Free Shoes!” Center for Environmental Health, 22 Sept. 2017, https://ift.tt/PMY5vec. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
Einhorn, Bruce, and Daniela Wei. “Fast-Fashion Behemoth Shein Says It’s Cleaning Up Its Act. Will Anyone Buy It?” Bloomberg, 13 July 2022, https://ift.tt/mA2yFjP.
Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.“Mini Biscuit Embossed Double Handle Square Bag.” Shein. https://ift.tt/YM4lzrp. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
“Mini Minimalist Buckle Flap Square Bag.” Shein. https://ift.tt/pLKbXCy. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
“Misleading TikTok Video Claims Shein Clothing Tags Contain Cries for Help.” Snopes.Com, https://ift.tt/SZpiW0w. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
“The Impact of Fast Fashion On the Environment.” PSCI, https://ift.tt/avtPYpi. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
“Toddler Girls Ruffle Trim PU Moto Jacket & Hat.” Shein. https://ift.tt/xcXz3Dh. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
“Learn about Lead.” US EPA, OCSPP, 12 Feb. 2013, https://ift.tt/sEXwJzF.
“When Clothing Labels Are a Matter of Life or Death.” Human Rights Watch, 2 May 2018, https://ift.tt/otuTx5p.
Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
Do Shein Clothes Contain Unhealthy Lead Levels?
Source: Kapit Pinas
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