Mia Martina purchased capybara backpacks from TK Maxx for her daughters as a reward for their gymnastics medals. The backpacks, adorned with a tutu and princess crown, appeared harmless. However, upon inspecting the labels, she discovered a warning that left her stunned.
Warning Label Discovery
The first label indicated the bag was '100% polyester' and contained 'all new materials'. Other tags showed standard branding. But a warning label read: 'Warning: This product can expose you to chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and bisphenol A (BPA), which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.'
Mia said she had a 'what the helly moment' and felt compelled to take the backpacks off her children, despite knowing they would be 'really upset'. Her daughters had been 'sleeping with [and] cuddling them' and 'absolutely adore them'.
TK Maxx Response
A TK Maxx spokesperson assured customers: 'We would like to reassure you that at TK Maxx and Homesense, our customers' wellbeing is our top priority and we take product safety very seriously.' They explained that the warning label relates to California's Proposition 65, a state-specific requirement with thresholds often lower than UK chemical limits. 'The presence of a Proposition 65 warning does not mean there is a safety concern or that it does not comply with UK requirements,' they added.
Public Reaction
In the comments, a former TK Maxx employee noted: 'I used to work in TKMaxx, those signs on nearly every American item we sold. They are just a formality more than anything.' Another commenter said: 'It's nothing to worry about. Just a disclaimer, they have to put on US goods due to the crazy legal system over there.' A third added: 'It has the CE and UKCA mark in the labels too, so it complies with all European and UK strict health and safety standards.'
Mia sought advice online, asking: 'TKMaxx... what do I do about this? Are we always exposing our kids to this in the UK, or should we not be using this? This is an American standard... should we have it here? Someone help.'
