Employees Say Clothing Is Linked To Multiple Health Issues

Uniforms created for Delta Airlines flight attendants and other employees by fashion designer Zac Posen in 2016 are the subject of a lawsuit filed by more than 500 of the airline's employees who say the clothing has made them sick.

CNN reports that the suit has been filed against Lands End, which manufactures the uniforms. In the suit, the Delta employees hold that the uniforms worn by flight attendants and some ground workers "pose an ongoing, unreasonable risks of physical harm... including threatening the [employees] with future serious health problems because of an allergic and/or sensitization response."

Among the symptoms that are listed in the court documents are vocal cord dysfunction, respiratory issues, blisters or rashes on the skin, nosebleeds, blurred vision, tinnitus, headaches and fatigue.

The suit was filed in federal court in Wisconsin. Delta is not named as a defendant in the action, as labor law generally requires employees to seek compensation from an employer through workers compensation rather than legal action. While Lands End would comment on the pending litigation, Delta released a statement saying it feels the uniforms are "safe."

"Our top priority continues to be the safety of our employees, which is why we invested in a rigorous toxicology study to determine if there was a universal scientific issue with the uniform," said the statement. "The results of the study confirm our uniforms meet the highest textile standards ... with the exception of the optional flight attendant apron, which we removed from the collection."

Testing conducted for the employees, however, found that there were "chemicals and heavy metals far in excess of industry accepted safe levels for garments."

The uniforms were first introduced in 2016, and Delta has required their use since 2018, according to the report.

(Delta Airlines image from file)

FMI: Source report