The fair trade under­wear com­pany Pants to Poverty is orga­niz­ing protests to warn about the use of a chem­i­cal in cot­ton pro­cess­ing. Pants to Poverty is orga­niz­ing the protest in 16 dif­fer­ent coun­tries, and is get­ting help from celebri­ties from the UK and Bollywood.

From the Ethiopian Review, we read more about the chem­i­cal that is get­ting the attention.

They are call­ing for a ban on the use of the harm­ful pes­ti­cide endo­sul­fan, used in under­wear pro­duc­tion.

It can cause can­cer, birth defects, res­pi­ra­tory prob­lems and steril­ity among cot­ton farm­ers and their families.

Pants To Poverty, a Fair­trade under­wear com­pany, says toxic cot­ton pants con­tain­ing traces of the chem­i­cal are being sold on the UK high street.

Just one pair of non-organic cot­ton pants can use 10ml of the chem­i­cal – enough to kill a per­son if directly exposed.

Ben Rams­den, founder of Pants To Poverty said: “Using pants as our metaphor, this cam­paign explains both the good and the bad about the cot­ton indus­try and points towards a brighter future.”

Lab­o­ra­tory tests on 1,000 pairs of pants from UK shops showed one in 50 tested pos­i­tive for the dan­ger­ous pesticide.

It has been banned in 62 coun­tries due to its high tox­i­c­ity, but its use is still per­mit­ted in India and other devel­op­ing nations.

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