Many Sports Bras Were Found To Have A Toxic Chemical In Them & Here's What It Means For You

What is BPA?

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that’s been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1950s, according to the Mayo Clinic.

It’s often used in containers that you would use to store food and water bottles. It’s also found in the lining of tin cans used for canned food.

"The problem with BPA is it can mimic hormones like estrogen and block other hormone receptors, altering the concentration of hormones in our bodies, and resulting in negative health effects," Dr. Jimena Díaz Leiva, the science director at CEH, said in a press release issued on October 12.

What are the health risks linked to BPA?

Many of us are exposed to BPA daily through packaged food and drinks, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers that to be safe because the amount of BPA in those products is so small.

However, if we’re exposed to the toxic chemical in large quantities, it can contribute to a whole host of heart problems, like coronary artery disease, heart attack and high blood pressure.

"Sports bras and athletic shirts are worn for hours at a time, and you are meant to sweat in them, so it is concerning to be finding such high levels of BPA in our clothing," Kaya Allan Sugerman, the Illegal Toxic Threats program director at CEH, said in a news release.

It's not just through clothing; our skin can absorb BPA when handling certain paper, like receipts.

Are experts surprised that BPA has been found in clothing?

An expert in Vancouver says the findings did surprise her because while it’s known BPA is present in things like plastic food containers, there have not been a lot of studies of BPA in clothing.

"As far as I'm aware of this is the first report of Bisphenol A in spandex clothing. So, it is alarming, the levels are alarming," Lindsay Rogers, an assistant professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of British Columbia, tells Narcity.

However, Rogers does note that the Center of Environmental Health did not actually report the levels of BPA that were in the fabrics, only that they were 22 times above the safe limit, so she says it is something to look out for.

Should you limit how often you wear active wear?

While the report may seem alarming to those of us who wear activewear daily, Rogers says it’s not known to what extent BPA might be present in other synthetic fabrics as well, other than spandex.

For anyone who is concerned, natural fabrics could be a good alternative.

"A safe or conservative approach by consumers would be to wear natural fibres like bamboo or cotton, or especially organic cotton [...] because it's very unlikely they would find Bisphenol A in a natural fibre like cotton," Rogers explains.

Who is most at risk when wearing fabrics that may have BPA?

When it comes to wearing spandex and workout clothes like the ones mentioned, experts agree the people who are more at risk health-wise include young children, pregnant people and unborn babies.

The CEH says exposure to BPA, even in low doses, during pregnancy has been "associated with a variety of health problems in offspring."

"My opinion would be that definitely until we have more information, if I [were] pregnant, or if I [were] dressing my baby or my young child in fabrics [like] spandex, I would be careful for the next little while," Rogers says.

What will happen next with the brands that had their products tested?

In the press release, the Center for Environmental Health says it has sent legal notices to all of the athletic brands that were tested. The companies will have 60 days to work with the center to fix the violations.

According to Rogers, health authorities in Europe (including the European Food Safety Association) have always been ahead in studies like these, as they focused on skin exposure as well, and now it’s up to health agencies in Canada and the U.S. to catch up.

"It is important for our regulatory agencies such as Health Canada and in the U.S., that would be FDA […] it is important for them to stay on pace and monitor exposure to these chemicals, skin exposure or non-oral dermal exposure and right now, there's really been a lack of that."

What have the companies said in response to the testing?

In a statement to Narcity, Victoria's Secret, which owns the PINK brand, says "We are committed to providing only the safest, highest quality products to our customers. We are aware of the Center for Environmental Health’s public announcement and are actively investigating the matter."

The athletic company Brooks has also responded to Narcity with the following statement.

"The safety of our customers is our highest priority. We have stringent testing requirements and high standards for all materials in our products. BPA is a banned substance in the Brooks Restricted Substance List (RSL). Our practice is to only use materials that are either Oeko-Tex 100 Standard certified or bluesign® approved, which demonstrates compliance with our RSL, or materials that are certified as compliant with our RSL by an independent third party. We have no reason to believe any of our products do not meet any health/safety standards, but out of an abundance of caution, we are working urgently to investigate these claims. Our Corporate Responsibility Transparency page provides additional information about our environmental standards and responsible chemicals program."

Narcity did not hear back from Athleta, Asics, The North Face, All In Motion, Nike, FILA, Mizuno, New Balance, and Reebok, in time for publication.