Jerseys from manufacturers Nike, Puma, and Adidas, who supply nine of the 16 nations competing in the European Championships, were found to possess highly dangerous chemicals such as nickel and lead, according to The European Consumer Organization (BEUC).
Jerseys for France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, and Ukraine were all found to contain lead, while Portugal and Holland went for creativity by wearing shirts tainted by nickel. Not to be outdone, co-host Poland’s jersey possessed excess amounts of organotin, a drug potentially damaging to the nervous system.
While Germany’s had enough lead to make it illegal to be sold to children, and Italy’s contained nonylphenol (outlawed in water treatment), Spain’s jersey had both — giving the all-conquering “Furia Roja” the dubious honor of most toxic uniform in the tournament
Nike touted its eco-friendly jerseys in recent weeks. How much credit will suppliers get when their products put the players that wear them at risk?
