Question from Bonnie
I was talking to a products specialist at LL Bean tonight asking about elastic in a T- shirt cuff. I decided to make sure elastic was not in their regular long sleeve shirts. Both the product specialist and I were surprised to learn a ‘plastic elastic’ is used to reinforce the shoulders. The pima cotton and regular T-shirts (100 % cotton), short and long sleeve, and pima cardigans contain plastic. I have been avoiding plastic because of possible thyroid cancer. My shoulder is a few inches from my thyroid where the T-shirt plastic is located. My question to know what type of plastic is used was forwarded to find out. Dryer heat will make the offgassing worse. This is not ‘ALL COTTON’, it is false advertising! I thought I was buying a safe product all these years. These are good shirts, and it is upsetting to learn plastic is in them.
Lisa’s Answer
Thanks for sharing this information. It’s frustrating that there is not better disclosure from manufacturers. I am not surprised that the product specialist was also not aware of this.
The plastic is a narrow “taping” that is sewn into the seams, usually at the shoulders to prevent stretching of the seam. The reason it is not listed in the content is if the fiber is less than 5 % of the garment, it need not be listed. This also includes lycra (elastic, spandex) in the cuffs, etc.
https://makersrow.com/blog/2015/12/what-are-ftc-label-requirements/#