Health Canada warns that several women's shoes have been recalled due to a potential chemical hazard.
A safety notification issued on Friday (Nov. 4) states that several versions of Clarks women’s shoes sold under the "Breeze" style could expose wearers to the chemical benzidine or dimethoxybenzidine.
Health Canada says the company became aware that "the dye used in the navy fabric of the affected models contains traces of azo dyes" and prolonged, direct contact with the material could expose wearers to the chemicals.
The shoes, included in the photo gallery above, were introduced for the spring/summer 2022 season and sold in sizes five to 12. They feature blue uppers and white soles and include a label on the inside of the upper that includes the size, month and year of manufacture, and the article number.
The impacted models are the Breeze Ave in Dark Navy [article 26165269], the Breeze Shore in Navy [article 26164910] and the Breeze Step in Dark Navy [article 26166718], and Navy/White [article 26165290].
You can identify if your shoes need to be returned by checking the article number. This is the first 8 digits of the 12-digit number and can be found inside the shoe.
The affected units were sold from February 2022 to October 2022 in Canada. Clarks reports that it sold 3585 units of the Breeze Ave in Dark Navy, 807 units of the Breeze Shore in Navy, 818 units of the Breeze Step in Dark Navy, and 4829 units of the Navy/White during this time period.
As of Oct. 17, there haven't been any reported injuries in Canada or the United States.
What you should do
You should immediately stop using the recalled shoes and contact Clarks to find out how to get a refund.
For more information, register for the recall online, or contact Clarks by telephone toll-free at 1-800-480-5137 between 6:00 a.m. ET to 6:00 p.m. ET from Monday to Saturday or email at [email protected].
