Fur linings in kids jackets full of carcinogenic toxins

The fur linings of some children's jackets contain large quantities of toxic substances, particularly the carcinogenic formaldehyde and ethoxylaten known to disrupt hormone production, the German Bremer Umwelt Institute found in a study done on behalf of television program Kassa and animal protection organization Bont voor Dieren, Medical Facts reports. The study looked at the fur linings of six children's jackets made by wll known brands Canada Goose, Versano, Woolrich, Nickelson and Airforce. The fur on these jackets comes from racoon dogs and coyotes. The researchers found that five of the six jackets contained more of the substance ethoxylates than the guidelines for textiles allow. The fur in the Airforce jacket contained 30 times more than the allowable amount. Ethoxylates is harmful to reproductionorgans, abrasive and may be carcinogenic. They also found amounts of formaldehyde well above the level allowed by the Dutch Commodities Act in five of the six jackets. Formaldehyde affects the mucus membranes and causes allergy symptoms. It was also labeled a carcinogenic by the Agency for Research on Cancer in 2004. Nicole van Gemert, director of Bont voor Dieren, is calling on consumers to stop buying fur. "The results of this study do not lie. They show once again that the production of fur entails a serious threat to public health, and this involves children's jackets!", she said. She hopes that this report will lead to the government taking steps against the use of fur.