Siddarth Sethia
A city based advocate has filed a petition with the state police head,request to cancel or change the tender specification for the police uniform which according to him as hazardous to human health and prohibited in many countries.
In a letter submitted to the director General and Inspector General of police,office on Saturday,Nataraj Sharma,said that the department is supplying the cloth to the police personnel tender notification(Ref.No.10/STS-3/2025-20),issued for supply of Fluorocarbon Durabile Firushing Fabrics cloth materials to the Kamataka State Police units.
Mr.Sharma said that it has been specified in the above tender that the uniforms are to be manufactured from water and oll repellent fluorocarbon furable finishing fabrics.
These fabrics,containing fluorocarbon-based chemical treatments (commonly referred to as PFAS per and polyfluoroalkyl substances), are scientifically proven to be highly dangerous to human health.
Prolonged skin contacts lead to serious dermatological issues,hormonal disruption,and long-term organ damage.
Due to these hazards,several developed nations, including countries in the EU,USA,and parts of Asia,have already banned or heavily restricted the production, sale, and usage of such fabrics,he said.
Introducing such hazardous fabrics into police uniforms-worn daily for prolonged hours by thousands of personnel-will directly endanger the health and well-being of our state’s police force.Uniforms should protect, not expose officers to long-term risks, he said .
He further demanded the department to cancel or modification the tender process immediately to change the clause specifying fluorocarbon durable finishing fabrics and Direction to adopt alternative safe fabrics already available in the textile industry that provide water and of repellence through non-toxic and eco-friendly finishes (eg, silicone based or other fluorine-free technologies,terry cot blend with polyester and cotton with polyester are safe clothes).
This issue is not only one of compliance with global health standards but also of safeguarding the lives of our police officers,who serve under rigorous conditions.
Continuing with the current tender specification will amount to exposing personnel to known carcinogens and toxins,which may later result in avoidable litigation and liability against the Department Karnataka Police uniforms must embody safety and prudence.
With major Jurisdictions banning or sunsetting PFAS in textiles and apparel,continuing to procure fluorocarbon-finished fabrics is medically inadvisable and strategically unsound.
I therefore seek immediate revision of the tender to PFAS-free specifications and issuance of appropriate directions to stop procurement.
