Update | Adidas, Gap, Disney and Burberry rebut claims of toxic clothing

Manufacturers of children's clothing have questioned the scientific basis of a test report from environmental activists that claims to have found harmful chemicals in their products.

Adidas, Gap, Burberry and Disney all said their goods complied with relevant health and safety laws and regulations.

Adidas said yesterday that the report was "selective" and vowed to seek independent verification of the results.

A company spokeswoman explained that Greenpeace had found an organotin chemical compound in one of its shoes. She admitted that some organotins could damage immune and nervous systems, but said the type found in the Adidas shoe was harmless. Greenpeace's report, she said, "lacks a scientifically sound basis".

On Tuesday, Greenpeace environmentalists released a report saying hormone-interfering chemicals had been detected in 60 per cent of the 82 clothing samples they tested from 12 brands in 25 countries.

The substances they found included nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE), plasticisers and potentially carcinogenic chemicals. Four of the samples that had NPEs - an Adidas sports shoe, a Burberry jacket, a Disney jacket and a Gap T-shirt - were sold in Hong Kong.

Gap said the Greenpeace report showed barely measurable levels of all the chemicals in question.