Do Kids' Clothes and School Uniforms Have PFAS?

The clothes most likely to carry PFAS are the ones sold on being stain-resistant or water-resistant, and that includes a lot of children's wear. A 2022 Toxic-Free Future study found PFAS in nearly three-quarters of products labeled stain- or water-resistant, and a separate textiles study flagged stain-resistant school uniforms specifically. Plain, untreated natural-fiber clothing is the simplest way to avoid the problem.

What does the research show?

Two pieces of evidence line up here, as summarized by KFF Health News and CBS News:

• Stain- and water-resistant finishes are the common thread. Toxic-Free Future found PFAS in nearly 75% of products carrying that labeling, and noted that a treated garment keeps shedding PFAS into air and water over its life.
• Children's uniforms were called out directly. An American Chemical Society study found high PFAS concentrations in textiles sold in the US and Canada, including materials for stain-resistant children's uniforms. Co-author Marta Venier of Indiana University pointed to how long kids wear uniforms, and to their developing bodies, as reasons for concern.

The honest limits: the exposure risk to a child from wearing a treated garment is not well quantified, and skin contact is only one route, since PFAS also reach households through water, dust, and other products. So this is a reason to prefer untreated clothing, not a reason to assume harm from a shirt your child already owns.

How to choose safer clothing for kids

The signal that matters is the finish, not the price or the brand's general reputation:

• Skip "stain-resistant," "water-repellent," and "wrinkle-free" finishes on everyday kids' clothes unless the brand explicitly states they are PFAS-free. That finish is where the chemistry lives.
• Favor plain organic cotton for uniforms, basics, and school clothes, and look for OEKO-TEX Standard 100 or MADE SAFE certification.
• For rain and outerwear, where water resistance is the point, look specifically for a PFAS-free or PFC-free membrane rather than an untreated natural fiber.

• Organic cotton kids' clothing
• Organic cotton school uniforms
• PFAS-free kids' rain gear

This mirrors what testing has found in adult leggings and activewear and in diapers: the treatment, not the fabric itself, is the issue.

Common questions

Do school uniforms contain PFAS? A textiles study found high PFAS levels in stain-resistant children's uniform materials, and stain-resistant finishes in general tested positive in nearly three-quarters of products in a 2022 study. Untreated cotton uniforms avoid it.

How do I find PFAS-free kids' clothes? Choose plain organic cotton, skip stain- and water-resistant finishes unless the brand states they are PFAS-free, and look for OEKO-TEX or MADE SAFE certification.

Is stain-resistant clothing bad? The stain-resistant finish is where PFAS are most often found. If a garment does not need that finish, an untreated version avoids the exposure question entirely.

Should I throw out treated clothes my kids already have? The evidence does not establish harm from wearing a treated garment, so there is no need to panic. The practical step is to choose untreated natural fibers for new purchases going forward.

Sources

• Toxic-Free Future, Toxic Convenience: PFAS in stain- and water-resistant products (2022).
• KFF Health News / CBS News, Raincoats, undies, school uniforms: are your clothes dripping in 'forever chemicals'? (2023).

Educational information, not medical advice. Know Your Exposure accepts no payment from any product brand; some links are affiliate links that never change what we recommend.