High Levels of Toxic Chemical BPA in Women’s Active Wear: Watchdog

South Florida Bulls guard Carla Brito (55) and guard Elena Tsineke (5) celebrate their win over the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Division 1 women s basketball tournament at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C., on March 17, 2023. Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

New testing has found high levels of the industrial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) across multiple sports bras and athletic clothing sold by a string of major companies, including Adidas and Nike, according to a watchdog group.

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a nonprofit organization working to protect children and families from harmful chemicals, said on May 17 that it had found BPA in 14 brands of leggings sold by Athleta (owned by GAP), Champion, Kohl’s, Nike, and Patagonia as well as sports bras sold by Sweaty Betty.