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[Charlsie] Something stinks.
Terrible smell, I had to let it sit in the
bathroom for a little while.
[Charlsie] What's really lurking on those new clothes?
It's awful!
That wouldn't even cross my mind in a million years.
[Charlsie] Out of the bag and into the lab.
This is a dangerous piece of clothing.
[Charlsie] Ultra-fast fashion giants put to the test.
Why, Miriam, are companies still using these chemicals?
It's cheap.
Why do we let this stuff in?
Why are we not making it here?
[Charlsie] This is your Marketplace.
[♪♪♪]
This is cute.
Hooded raincoat, waterproof.
[Charlsie] We're hunting for deals online.
Oh, my bathing suit's on sale for $11.
[Charlsie] The clothes are cheap, but what's the real cost?
We're about to show you just how toxic some of these
deals can be.
We're ordering dozens of items, including clothes for my
toddler and me.
And the stakes for me just got bigger.
The maternity PJ set and maternity denim shirt
Ships from China.
Let's go through the cart.
[Charlsie] We're taking our haul to the University of Toronto.
Oh my gosh, you've been shopping?
We sure have.
[Charlsie] Environmental chemist Miriam Diamond and her
team will test these clothes for chemicals.
We're going to look for, heavy metals, phthalates, PFAs.
Yes.
[Charlsie] P-f-a-s or "pee-fass" and phthalates are man-made and
just like heavy metals, many can be toxic in some quantities.
What would you see if you are affected by these chemicals or
these ingredients?
It's not like, I was exposed to a poison and then in the next
couple of hours I get really sick.
It's not that kind of immediate connection.
Maybe you were exposed as a fetus, and maybe the
manifestation is an alteration to the male reproductive system,
decrease in IQ level.
[Charlsie] They get right to work on our brand-new right out
of the box clothes from some of the world's biggest ultra-fast
fashion brands.
164.6 grams.
Country of manufacture was China.
Raincoat.
We've got a few raincoats.
[Charlsie] Our results will be ready soon but first...
[♪♪♪]
So much stuff on here.
I found a shirt you might like.
Would you buy that?
[Charlsie] Camila Diaz and her friend check out Shein every
single day.
They get lured in by ads like this.
Hi everyone, welcome back to our Instagram live series where we
interview our Shein X Designers.
[Charlsie] And the celebrities that promote them.
♪ You're going to hear me roar ♪♪
[Charlsie] Ultra-fast fashion sites churn out hundreds of
styles daily.
Are you buying like a new thing every day?
I'll be looking every day.
If she had a way, she would be buying every day.
But no.
I was literally looking over my order this morning and I was
like "yes, yes".
[Charlsie] The fast fashion industry makes billions
annually in sales.
Today I'm back with a mini haul.
[Charlsie] And they do it by
selling clothes for a few dollars.
These are some of the best jeans from Shein.
[Charlsie] Shoes under 10 bucks.
[man] Only nine dollars.
I believe I got this for only 10 or 15 dollars.
Super inexpensive.
[Charlsie] Mom, Linda, is skeptical.
Very skeptical.
Camila came to me and she says, oh, I found all these great
swimsuits and they're like dirt cheap.
[Charlsie] When their Shein haul finally arrives...
It wasn't, I would say, the best quality, and so there was a bit
of an, "I told you" so moment.
Not-- Not-- not good the first time.
-Not good. -Okay, let's see.
The actual fabric was like, way too thin.
[Charlsie] And Camila's not alone.
This waistband is just weird.
[Charlsie] There are lots of people who don't get
what they expect.
I'm so upset.
What are those?
Granny panties?
I want my money back.
♪ Do I look good in this? ♪♪
[Charlsie] So what about our stuff?
These are supposed to be an adult medium.
I don't know who those would fit.
Not my particular flavour but my nephew would love this.
[Charlsie] We need a pro to give us the scoop on our
ultra-fast fashion picks.
[Lesley] My name is Lesley Hampton and I'm
an Indigenous artist and designer.
[Charlsie] And winner of the Fashion Impact Award.
International mega-stars like Lizzo wear her threads.
[♪♪♪]
This is a whole pile of stuff that we ordered from a
number of different websites.
[Charlsie] First up these $8 shorts from Zaful.
This is new coming to you?
[Charlsie] It's got holes in it!
So, they ran it through the machine, like with
no thread in it.
[Charlsie] Next check out these leggings from AliExpress
for about 15 bucks.
Not the size we were expecting.
If I was a medium and I received these,
I'd be really disappointed.
[Charlsie] Next.
This Shein kids coat listed for twenty-six bucks.
[Charlsie] You can pull it apart already.
Threads will come out of it.
So the best way to fix that would be to maybe have
a rolled hem, which again, would take more time to
do, or even a lining. -Okay.
[Charlsie] Lesley calls out lots of misses including this
$15 buy from AliExpress.
They should have back stitching, so you go back and forth, so
it locks in the stitching, whereas this I feel like I
could just pull and start to unravel.
[Charlsie] And these Boohoo workout leggings
for about 35 dollars.
Very thin.
When you just held that up I felt like
I could see right through it. -Yeah, so...
..depending on how public you want to be when
you're working out.
[Charlsie] A similar issue with this 24-dollar
Fashion Nova track suit.
This is very lightweight.
It is a little see through, yeah.
I can see through.
[Charlsie] But the biggest fail for Lesley?
This raincoat for thirteen dollars from AliExpress.
Oh, look, there's a hole in it!
Like, there's a full hole because they
didn't stitch it up.
[Charlsie] According to Lesley almost half of the products
we bought were definitely not as advertised.
I definitely think as consumers, we have to slow down and
really think about where our clothing is coming from.
[Charlsie] And now it's time to learn what's
really in our clothing.
Our lab results are in.
First up this cute little bag from Shein.
It reminds the Diaz family of their Shein buy.
It came and it smelled awful.
This one was like--
-[Charlsie] It smelled awful. -Terrible smell.
I had to let it sit in the bathroom for a little while.
Do you want to feel it?
Does it feel at all like your belt?
It's definitely similar material.
Yeah, definitely similar, yeah.
So this little red purse should not be allowed.
[Charlsie] Miriam Diamond says it's not just the smell.
It's toxic.
This is Health Canada's limit for lead in children's products.
Our little red purse is five times more than that limit.
The harm will continue over time particularly as this little red
purse deteriorates.
But let's think even broader.
Somebody made this little red purse.
Can you imagine?
It's leaving a little trail of lead everywhere it goes.
-Exactly. -Wow.
What do you guys think about that?
That's-- that's like, an insane amount.
May I? Can I see?
That has five times the amount of lead that's allowed in
a kids' product. -Really?
-I'm gonna take that one back. -[man] It's not safe.
[man] Where would the strap go?
In your mouth.
[Charlsie] In her mouth, right?
Would you want her to be wearing this every day, playing with
this everyday?
-No, not at all. -[Charlsie] And there's more.
Remember this AliExpress raincoat with the hole?
That's not the only issue.
The lab tests detect high levels of PFAs.
All of them are forever chemicals.
The harmful effects include a range of effects, everything
from increasing obesity to impairing immune function to
different types of cancers to even diabetes.
Is there something else?
They do not have to be used to make our clothes.
There are alternatives.
Remember we did not have PFAs in our rain gear before the past 30
years and somehow, we managed to stay dry and survive.
The substance used to make this water repellent--
Yeah.
--was flagged to us by experts concerning levels in a raincoat.
Wow. And everybody needs a raincoat.
[Charlsie] PFAs are called "forever chemicals".
They build up in our bodies and over time can show up in our
blood and urine.
That wouldn't even cross my mind in a million years.
It's awful.
It definitely is concerning, the things that are
not disclosed.
We're giving our kids a legacy of contaminated drinking water
because of today's raincoat.
Can I calculate that cost into the future?
Very difficult, but I can assure you it's not covered by $13.
[Charlsie] In fact research shows these forever chemicals
are polluting our oceans and drinking water and they never
break down.
I don't know why there's not more testing
or higher standards being held for things.
[Charlsie] Don't go away and don't buy anything.
More lab reveals.
I am so alarmed!
[Charlsie] Searching for answers from fast fashion giants.
Your Marketplace gets action!
Get more Marketplace.
Sign up for our weekly
newsletter at cbc.ca/marketplace.
[Charlsie] This is your Marketplace.
This dress has to be my favourite.
Cute little romper.
I did not think it would look this nice like in person.
[Charlsie] We love our fast fashion deals.
They kill it!
Would you guys ever use this?
I would buy it for my niece.
What do you think it is that's driving people to this stuff?
The price, for sure.
It's the price.
[Charlsie] But what's the real cost of these cheap buys?
Our lab tests reveal shocking levels of toxic
chemicals in our clothes.
I'm so alarmed.
I am so alarmed.
We're buying what looks cute and fashionable on this
incredibly short fashion cycle.
That cost is not worth it.
[Charlsie] This was a $13 bag we bought from Zaful.
How troubled were you by what we found on that?
We found elevated levels of a bunch of different phthalates.
The phthalates are used as a plasticizer, because
you see it's flexible, I know the phthalates
are endocrine disruptors.
Endocrine disruptors are a wide range of chemicals that have
the ability to alter our hormone levels.
Hormones in turn control a whole bunch of different
aspects of our physiology.
The phthalates in particular are known to disrupt
male reproductive system.
These things can mess with your hormones, in particular
for men in your reproductive system.
That sounds awful.
Yeah, like it would have never even crossed my mind,
until you just said that.
[Charlsie] We share our findings with Health Canada and
ask for an on-camera interview.
They say no but we're going to keep trying.
Because Miriam keeps finding toxic chemicals in our samples.
I know that people who hear this are going to go "What?"
People should be shocked.
That should be the response.
What are these chemicals doing in my clothes?
[Charlsie] Like in this kids coat from Shein.
I think this trench coat is hazardous waste.
[Charlsie] The level of lead is almost twenty times higher than
what's allowed in kids' products.
20 times, 20 times the amount of lead that's allowed in a
children's product.
Like, how often you see a kid chewing
on their, you know, collar.
[Charlsie] And our skin can absorb it too.
We cover eighty-five percent of our body with clothing just
about all the time.
Skin is a very active organ.
It's shocking, you would never know.
[Charlsie] Next up, this AliExpress bib.
We've got a bib.
Do you know who this is?
Mickey Mouse.
You got it.
[Charlsie] It has elevated levels of phthalates.
Though not over Health Canada's limit Miriam is still concerned.
I'm sure a lot of parents know these are like the best, cause
all the food just ends up, and then they can pick it out and
they put it right back in their mouth.
That's right.
And, and the child is touching it and playing with it.
Yes, I was concerned about the bib.
[Charlsie] Wow.
Because of the phthalates.
[Charlsie] And it's not just the bibs.
Miriam has the same concerns with these dresses too.
My friend has that shirt!
Your friend has this?
At her birthday she weared it.
And who's this?
Elsa!
This is another one that got flagged to us by our experts.
[Charlsie] In all we put 6 ultra-fast fashion giants
to the test.
Zulily, Boohoo and Fashion Nova's products didn't raise
any red flags.
But our lab tests found elevated levels of PFAs, phthalates or
heavy metals in products from Zaful, AliExpress and Shein.
About 20 percent of our haul.
So why are companies adding all these toxins and endocrine
disruptors to our clothes?
Nobody has an excuse to say, well I just don't know how to
tackle it.
[Charlsie] Joël Mertens knows they don't need to
use them at all.
We learn a lot of things about the toxicity of-- of what
we've been doing and it comes down to, can we do it better?
Once something is flagged as problematic, what are
my alternatives to this?
[Charlsie] He's with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
Really if we're focused on reducing environmental impacts
and harm, it really goes into the full
manufacturing supply chain.
So I think Joel, what you're saying is the manufacturers
need to do a better job of checking in on how
their clothes are being made.
If the only brand conversation with a manufacturer is on
the price, then that's what the manufacturer is
going to focus on.
[Charlsie] We share our findings with all six retailers.
Remember these quality issues?
[Charlsie] It's got holes in it.
Zaful apologized for that defect.
They and Boohoo say customers can
always ask for refunds.
Shein and AliExpress say they're working with their
third-party suppliers to improve quality.
Fashion Nova says they stand by the quality of their products,
and no comment from Zulily.
Only Shein, Zaful and AliExpress' items were flagged
as toxic or concerning.
All say they've pulled the products from their Canadian
sites while they continue to investigate.
Zaful says they're recalling the clear tote and giving refunds
to customers.
Why Miriam are companies still using these chemicals?
It's cheap.
It's unfortunately cheap.
There are alternatives that are safer.
[Charlsie] She says we need better regulation.
One solution?
In California, where there are labelling laws.
Oh! Lead and cadmium.
Which is known to cause cancer and birth defects and other
reproductive harm.
How do you feel about it being right on the tag?
Do you think that that's a good marker for consumers?
-No. [Charlsie] No, okay.
I'm not in favour of labelling.
I'm in favour of not having lead and cadmium in this garment.
Not everybody reads tags.
Tags come off.
What about second-hand clothing?
The tag also does not help the people who manufactured this
garment who are exposed to cadmium and lead.
I think we need to be protecting everybody.
[Charlsie] Joël agrees.
The best thing to do is to submit those to Health Canada
who ultimately is responsible for reviewing the-- the results.
[Charlsie] Remember, we've been trying for weeks to get Health
Canada on camera to talk to us about our findings.
But they still say no.
Health Canada won't talk to us.
Why are we letting this stuff in?
Why aren't we making it here, where we can regulate it?
And probably because it can be made cheaper somewhere else?
Cheap, cheap, cheap.
[Charlsie] Finally, Health Canada sent us a statement.
As a result of our investigation they say they'll follow up with
some of the items we flagged.
Ultimately, they say it's the companies who are responsible
for making sure their products are safe.
For people who may have an order from one of these companies,
practical advice for them to protect themselves?
When you wash something, the wash water goes through the
wastewater treatment plant.
Wastewater treatment plants deal with
lots of different chemicals.
It'll reduce your own exposure.
But over the long term that's not a good enough
solution because it just isn't protective enough.
In the long term, no, I just don't want to buy it.
[Charlsie] Advice one of our younger sources
already taken to heart.
This shiny one?
-Uh-uh! [Laughter]