When you buy pajamas for your children, you’re probably not thinking about federal regulations or hormone-disrupting chemicals.
But thanks to a little-known fire safety law, millions of American kids are sleeping in potentially toxic fabrics every night, and parents have no idea.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requires under 16 CFR Part 1615 and 1616, that children’s sleepwear either be made with fire-retardant chemicals or be “snug fitting” to reduce the risk of catching fire. On the surface, that may sound like a reasonable safety precaution.
But mounting evidence shows these fabrics and chemicals may pose serious health and fertility risks.
To meet these regulations, most children’s sleepwear is made not from natural, breathable fabrics like cotton or wool—but from polyester, a synthetic material derived from petrochemicals. Even worse, when flame retardants are used to treat cotton, they introduce an entirely different health risk.
Pharmacist and Hormone Specialist Layne Kilpatrick discusses how polyester acts as an endocrine disrupter in a recent Reel.
Transcript:
“Researchers did a study way back in 2008 where they put polyester pants on female dogs. Why? To see if fabric type affected fertility — and it did, wildly.
For a whole year, these groups of dogs were either in 100% polyester, a 50/50 cotton blend, 100% cotton, or 100% wool. One group wore nothing, as a control.
The dogs in the polyester? Almost 75% couldn’t get pregnant — even with artificial insemination.
[…]
But listen to this: the progesterone levels dropped. Meanwhile, dogs in wool and cotton had a 100% success rate getting pregnant.
They discovered a measurable electrostatic field that formed around the reproductive organs on these dogs wearing polyester, and that interfered with hormone signaling.
It was twice as high in the 100% polyester group compared to the blend, but there was no such charge on the dogs wearing cotton or wool.
Now, I’m not saying your leggings are making you infertile — but if this happens in mammals, and we’re mammals, maybe it’s worth thinking about.”
WATCH:
Flame retardants are well-documented endocrine disruptors, meaning they interfere with hormone production.
These chemicals have been linked to developmental problems, social development problems, thyroid disorders, and long-term toxicity in children. Retardants used in children’s pajamas, including tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), have been linked to hormone disruption, neurological development issues, and increased cancer risk. Pediatricians and researchers have raised the alarm for years—but nothing has changed.
These chemicals have also been found to lower the ‘intelligence quotient’ or “IQ” of children in previous studies.
Now, new attention is being paid to what these fabrics might be doing, not just to children’s development—but to fertility itself.
A 2008 study involving female dogs showed alarming results, say critics.
In a year-long experiment, multiple groups of dogs wore different fabrics 24/7. One group wore nothing at all. Others wore pants made of 100% cotton, wool, or a 50/50 cotton/poly blend. One group wore pants made entirely of polyester.
At the end of the study, 100% of the dogs in the natural fabric groups could conceive puppies. Even the cotton/poly blend showed no negative effects. But among the polyester-wearing group, 75% were infertile—even with artificial insemination.
Researchers found that polyester fibers can form a static or chemical barrier around reproductive organs, interfering with hormonal signaling and function.
It gets worse. Every major athletic brand whose clothing has undergone third-party testing has tested positive for estrogenic activity on the fabric itself. That means the clothing—not just what’s in it, but the fibers—can actively introduce estrogen into the body through contact with skin.
A 2022 report by the Center for Environmental Health revealed that every major athletic clothing brand tested—Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, and others—showed detectable levels of estrogenic activity on their products. That means the fabrics themselves can mimic estrogen, disrupting the body’s natural hormone balance through direct skin contact.
We already know that boys are seeing lower testosterone levels at younger ages, and girls are hitting puberty earlier than ever. Could the polyester revolution—spurred by federal law and athletic fashion—be a major factor?
And what about children? The flannel pajama pants you used to wear as a kid—soft, breathable, cotton—can no longer legally be made for kids unless they’re tight to the skin. That’s why you’ll almost never see children’s sleep pants made of cotton flannel anymore. Instead, it’s polyester or nothing.
Once again, federal safety regulation may be solving one risk—fire—by creating a much bigger one: chemical poisoning and reproductive harm.
If you want to avoid polyester and flame retardants, consumer options are limited. But they do exist: tight-fitting cotton pajamas are allowed under the law. Just don’t expect to find cozy all-cotton flannel pants at your local Target or Walmart.
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