American Airlines Uniforms Safe, Maker Says, Despite Reaction Reports

American Airlines uniforms are safe to wear, the maker insists after workers almost immediately complained of allergic reactions following the September rollout of the uniforms.

Twin Hill, which made the gray wool uniforms, said in a letter Monday to the Association of Professional Flight Attendants that the claims of rashes, itching, headaches, eye irritation, and respiratory issues are "inaccurate and damaging" to the company's reputation, USA Today reported.

American Airlines earlier said the uniforms are safe to wearing, but this is the first time Twin Hill has addressed the complaints made by some 450 staff members, according to CNN Money.

The manufacturer and the airline tested the new uniforms and found “there are no restricted chemicals in the garments and that the chemicals that are present are well within acceptable standards for the clothing industry,” Twin Hill’s letter to the APFA said, according to USA Today.

Though these findings seem to indicate the uniforms are safe for employees to wear, in December the carrier’s flight attendant union called for a recall of the garments that it said resulted in as many as 2,000 attendants getting sick.

Stilley has encouraged the APFA to visit the company’s Houston-based warehouse, which they pledged to do in order to test the uniforms themselves.

“We don’t expect you to take our word for it – we encourage you to see for yourself, and to eliminate any doubts you still may have about the authenticity and accuracy of the extensive testing that has been done and the safety of our garments,” Daryl Stilley, Twin Hill's senior vice president and marketing director wrote, according to USA Today.

“We supported the request of APFA representatives to visit our Houston distribution center and select uniforms directly for joint chemical testing with American Airlines,” he continued. “We scheduled that visit – on three different occasions over the last eight weeks – and each time, the APFA has unilaterally cancelled the visit at the last moment. Considering the nature of your claims about your members’ reactions, we are at a loss to understand what could take priority over this meeting.”

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