Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant vs School Uniform Kids Short Sleeve Rapid Dry Polo Shirt: which is safer?

Dickies Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Dickies Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant

Dickies

Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 49/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

cotton/polyester blend, no special coatings

Confidence

78%

PossibleAzo dyes and colorants

PossibleAntimony in polyester

PossibleHeavy metals in dyes and pigments

Lands' End School Uniform Kids Short Sleeve Rapid Dry Polo Shirt

Lands' End

School Uniform Kids Short Sleeve Rapid Dry Polo Shirt

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

polyester blend with water-repellent coating and stain-resist finish

Confidence

35%

LikelyPFAS in water-repellent coating and stain-resist finishes

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in dyes and finishes

PossibleAzo dyes (potential aromatic amine release)

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Azo dyes and colorants, Antimony in polyester, Heavy metals in dyes and pigments and Residual solvents or sizing agents on the Dickies and not on the Lands' End.
  • We flag PFAS in durable water-repellent and stain-resist finishes, Formaldehyde resins in dyes and finishes, Azo dyes (potential aromatic amine release) and Antimony in polyester fiber on the Lands' End and not on the Dickies.
  • The Dickies is cotton/polyester blend, no special coatings where the Lands' End is polyester blend with DWR and stain-resist finish, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Dickies is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Lands' End grade, at 35% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

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