A report from Greenpeace has accused three top international sports brands, who are major producers of apparel for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, of using toxic chemicals in their soccer wear and shoes.
The report issued by Greenpeace said that it purchased sporting goods from Nike, Adidas and Puma in 16 countries and regions across the world and conducted tests on them from March to May.
According to China Daily, the environmental organization's report found that 81 percent of the three brands' soccer shoes and 35 percent of their soccer performance shirts contained chemical residues, including 'plasticizer' and 'perfluorinated' compounds.
The report revealed that Adidas soccer boot named Predator had more than 15 times the standard amount of the perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, which is often used to make textiles waterproof and difficult to degrade, allowed on the index.
The report said that the PFOA could impact fertility after a long period of human contact and has been listed as a high-profile substance under European Union rules, as animal tests have revealed that the chemical may cause cancer.
Li Yifang, who is director of Greenpeace's project to prevent pollution, said that a few companies, such as Adidas, have said that they had already eliminated the toxic substance from production, but added that it is a huge disappointment that Adidas has moved backward compared with other companies.
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Greenpeace has advised consumers and soccer fans not to buy the products made with toxic chemicals and Yifang said that these polluted sports shirts and soccer shoes worn by athletes in competition would be against the environmental ideals of the World Cup in Brazil.
The NGO has reportedly urged the three sports brands to disclose toxicity information about their products as soon as possible and has also suggested that they establish a clear timeline to eliminate toxic chemicals from production lines and take specific measures to provide environmentally safe goods for consumers.
