NEEDHAM, Mass. — Clarks Americas on Thursday recalled about 113,000 select pairs of women’s shoes sold nationwide, citing potential exposure to known carcinogens.
According to the recall notice, issued in concert with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, prolonged and direct contact with the shoes’ upper material can expose the wearer to the chemicals benzidine and/or dimethoxybenzidine.
Benzidine has been linked to certain cancers, especially in cases of long-term occupational exposure to the chemical, and dimethoxybenzidine is derived from benzidine, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The affected shoes were manufactured in China and imported to the United States by Needham, Massachusetts-based C&J Clark America Inc., a subsidiary of Clarks Americas Inc.
As per the recall notice, the affected shoes include the following varieties:
| Women’s Shoe Style | Color | Article No. |
|---|---|---|
| Breeze Ave | dark navy | 26165269 |
| Breeze Shore | navy | 26164910 |
| Breeze Step | dark navy | 26166718 |
| Breeze Step | navy | 26166904 |
| Breeze Step | navy/white | 26165290 |
The recalled shoes were sold in women’s sizes 5 to 12 at Clarks outlet stores and by other national retailers – including Macy’s, JC Penney, Kohl’s, QVC, Shoe Carnival, DSW and Zappos – from February 2022 to October 2022 for about $65 each. The shoes were also sold online at Clarksusa.com and Amazon.com during the same time period.
Clarks has not fielded any complaints or incidents to date linked to the recall.
Consumers are advised to immediately stop wearing the shoes and visit https//www.clarkusa.com for instructions on how to receive a full refund. Consumers will need to upload a photo of their shoes in order to determine if they are included in this recall. If included in the recall, Clarks will send consumers free shipping materials and a pre-paid shipping label to return the shoes. Consumers may also return the shoes to the place of purchase.
Consumers may contact Clarks by calling 800-480-5092 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT Monday through Saturday; via email at productrecall@customerreply.clarks.com; or online at http://tinyurl.com/ClarksRecall.
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