Dangerous lead levels in children’s clothing

Date:

April 2, 2026

Source:

American Chemical Society

Summary:

Fast fashion might come with a hidden danger: lead. Researchers testing children’s shirts from multiple retailers found every sample exceeded U.S. safety limits, raising concerns about toxic exposure—especially since young kids often chew on clothing. Brightly colored fabrics like red and yellow showed particularly high levels, likely due to chemicals used to fix dyes. Simulations suggest that even brief mouthing could expose children to unsafe amounts of lead, a substance known to harm brain development and behavior.

Some children’s fast-fashion clothes may contain dangerous levels of lead, especially in brightly colored fabrics. Credit: Shutterstock

Fast fashion offers an affordable way to keep up with kids who quickly outgrow their clothes. But new early research suggests that some of these garments may contain a dangerous substance: lead. After analyzing shirts from several retailers, undergraduate researchers found that every item tested exceeded U.S. federal safety limits for lead. Their findings also suggest that even brief chewing on these fabrics (which young children often do) could expose kids to unsafe levels.

The results were presented at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Why Researchers Began Studying Lead in Clothing

Kamila Deavers, who led the project, became interested in lead exposure after her young daughter briefly showed elevated lead levels linked to toy coatings, before stricter regulations were introduced. Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission limits lead in children's products like toys and clothing to 100-parts-per-million (ppm).

Deavers now works with undergraduate students in her chemistry lab at Marian University to identify everyday sources of heavy metal exposure and share that information with the community.

"I started to see many articles about lead in clothing from fast fashion," says Deavers. "And I realized not too many parents knew about the issue."

How Lead Gets Into Clothing

Earlier research has shown that lead can appear in metal components of children's clothing, such as zippers, buttons and snaps, sometimes leading to recalls. However, lead has also been detected directly in fabrics, including items sold for adults.

According to Deavers, some manufacturers use lead(II) acetate as a low-cost way to help dyes bond to fabric and maintain bright, long-lasting colors.

Health Risks of Lead Exposure in Children

Cristina Avello and Priscila Espinoza, both pre-med students at Marian University, joined the study to better understand how fast fashion might affect children's health. They also wanted to combine research with outreach on a topic that often goes unnoticed.

Lead exposure is harmful at any level. It has been linked to behavioral issues, damage to the brain and central nervous system, and other health problems. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identifies children under 6 years old as especially vulnerable.

"Not only are children the most vulnerable to the effects of lead, but they're also the population that is going to be putting their clothes in their mouths," says Avello.

Testing Reveals High Lead Levels in Kids' Shirts

The research team tested 11 shirts in a range of colors, including red, pink, orange, yellow, gray and blue, purchased from four retailers that included fast-fashion and discount brands.

"We saw that the shirts we tested were all over the allowed limit for lead of 100 ppm," says Espinoza.

Across brands, brighter colors such as red and yellow tended to contain more lead than less vibrant shades. While the sample size was limited, Avello notes that none of the items tested met U.S. safety standards.

Simulating Exposure From Chewing on Fabric

In a second phase of the study, the researchers simulated how the body might process lead if children mouthed or chewed on clothing. They recreated stomach conditions to estimate how much lead could become available for absorption.

Using this data, they modeled potential exposure from mouthing behavior (e.g., sucking, holding or chewing on fabric). The results suggest that such exposure could exceed the daily ingestion limit for children established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Deavers notes that these estimates are likely conservative. Even so, repeated exposure over time could raise a child's blood lead levels enough to warrant clinical monitoring.

Could Washing Spread Lead Contamination?

The team plans to expand their research by testing more garments and analyzing whether higher lead content in fabric directly translates to greater absorption in children.

They also want to examine how washing affects lead(II) acetate. This includes whether contaminated clothing could transfer lead to other items in the wash and how detergents interact with the chemical. One concern is that washing could create a lead-containing residue inside machines, which might need to be cleaned to prevent releasing contamination into wastewater.

Calls for Safer Dyeing Methods in Fast Fashion

The researchers hope their findings will encourage more thorough testing of clothing before it reaches consumers and push manufacturers to adopt safer alternatives during the dyeing process.

Options already exist for fixing dyes without lead, including natural mordants derived from plants rich in tannins, such as oak bark, pomegranate peel and rosemary, as well as alum, which is considered environmentally safe.

"But if you want to change the clothing industry's technology, that will cost a lot of money," says Deavers. Without pressure from consumers or regulators, companies may have little motivation to switch to safer methods.

Raising Awareness About Hidden Lead Risks

Ultimately, the researchers aim to inform the public about a potential but often overlooked source of lead exposure in children's clothing. By increasing awareness, they hope parents and caregivers can make more informed decisions.

Avello concludes, "Everything that we're doing is only important and helpful if we talk about it."

The research was funded by internal grants from Marian University and Sigma Zeta.

Story Source:

Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

American Chemical Society. "Study finds dangerous lead levels in children’s clothing." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 April 2026. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260402042737.htm>.