TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Football merchandise for World Cup 2014 turns out to contain hazardous materials, Greenpeace stated in its official page. The merchandise, mostly produced by leading brands like Adidas, Nike, and Puma, contains chemical compounds that pose a danger to environment.
The environmental organization has conducted a string of test towards 33 commercial products, including the official ball for World Cup, Brazuca. As a result, Adidas iconic football shoes, Predator, turns out to contain a high amount of perfluorinated (PFC) compound, 14 times higher than the allowed bar setup by the company itself.
In total, 17 out of 21 football shoes and half of the goalkeeper gloves contain PFC ions like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). As for Brazuca, the official ball is said to contain nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE).
Chemical compounds like PFC, NPE, phthalates, and dimetilformamida (DMF), as in the products, can disperse to the environment, as well as the food chain. Some of the compounds are potential to cause cancer, as well as disrupting hormone and reproduction system.
MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI
