Image source Weibo screenshotGenerally speaking, when it comes to the intake of carcinogens, the first thing people think of is the channels through which diseases enter through the mouth, such as tobacco, junk food, and additives.There is a lack of awareness and strong attention to clothing that is "skin friendly" to people
Image source Weibo screenshot
Generally speaking, when it comes to the intake of carcinogens, the first thing people think of is the channels through which diseases enter through the mouth, such as tobacco, junk food, and additives.
There is a lack of awareness and strong attention to clothing that is "skin friendly" to people.
Even more terrifying is that these inferior clothing can directly alter the DNA structure of the human body.
01
Some clothes have severely excessive levels of 'benzidine'
According to CCTV, the State Administration for Market Regulation conducted a random inspection and during the testing process, a cancer-causing aromatic amine dye called "benzidine" was detected on a woman's clothing produced by a certain company, exceeding the standard, which is very serious.
Image source Weibo screenshot
The "benzidine" contained in clothing dyes is a type of azo dye, but not a dye. It is usually used as a raw material, along with other aromatic ring systems, as a chromophore.
During long-term contact with human skin, harmful ingredients can be absorbed by the skin, and under special conditions, they decompose to produce over 20 carcinogenic aromatic amines, forming carcinogenic aromatic amine compounds that can cause structural and functional changes in the DNA of human cells.
Image source news screenshot
In the long run, mild cases may experience headaches, nausea, and insomnia, while severe cases may trigger malignant diseases such as cancer.
For example, bladder cancer cancer, ureter cancer and renal pelvis cancer, and the incubation period can be as long as 20 years.
According to standard requirements, numerical standards have always been very strict, with aromatic amine content not exceeding 20 mg/kg.
Image source news screenshot
According to the national standard GB/T17592-2011 "Determination of Prohibited Azo Dyes for Textiles", azo dyes that release 24 aromatic amine compounds after reduction have been prohibited from use.
However, currently, some businesses are still using banned azo dyes due to cost and other factors. The women's clothing sampled this time has a carcinogenic aromatic amine dye content of up to 540 mg/kg, which is 27 times higher than the standard.
02
Not only does benzidine exceed the standard, but also formaldehyde
In addition to the excessive content of "benzidine" in dyes, there have also been media reports in the past that some clothing has been detected to have excessive formaldehyde content.
According to regulations issued by relevant national departments, the formaldehyde content should be clearly stated on clothing labels, but some clothing on the market is not labeled, and consumers are not aware of the formaldehyde content of clothing.
Image source news screenshot
It is understood that many chemical additives, especially formaldehyde, are added to new clothing during production and transportation. Formaldehyde can remove wrinkles and maintain color, and almost all new clothes contain residual formaldehyde.
There are two main short-term hazards of formaldehyde. Firstly, it stimulates the respiratory tract and skin. When the skin comes into contact with formaldehyde, it is easy to experience symptoms such as tears, dry cough, sore throat, and nausea.
Secondly, formaldehyde can cause skin allergies, and some people may feel itchy after wearing new clothes, which is likely caused by residual formaldehyde causing rashes and itching.
Can formaldehyde on clothes cause cancer?
The World Health Organization does classify formaldehyde as a Class 1 carcinogen, but to determine whether something is carcinogenic, it depends on the concentration and duration of its contact with the human body.
The peak formaldehyde concentration that causes cancer is above 4.0ppm or the average concentration is above 1.0ppm. Previous testing data has shown that new clothing may release approximately 0.012-0.426ppm of formaldehyde.
From the above data, it can be seen that the residual formaldehyde released on new clothes is far less than the carcinogenic amount of formaldehyde.
So, don't be intimidated by the statement that "formaldehyde on new clothes can cause cancer". The prerequisite for formaldehyde to cause cancer is to reach a certain concentration.
03
When buying clothes, be sure to read the labels clearly
After buying new clothes, don't rush to cut off the labels. In the label information of the clothes, there are three safety technology levels: A, B, and C.
In the National Basic Safety Technical Specifications for Textiles, there are provisions for the allowable limit of formaldehyde content:
Among them, Class A refers to textile products that can be worn or used by infants and young children aged 36 months and below, including diapers, underwear, socks, outerwear, hats, bedding, etc;, The formaldehyde content must be less than 20 mg/kg.
Class B refers to textile products that can come into direct contact with the skin, including bras, shorts, cotton and woolen clothing, summer dresses, and suspenders, with a formaldehyde content requirement of less than 75 mg/kg.
Class C refers to textile products that cannot come into direct contact with the skin, including jackets, pants, etc., with a formaldehyde content requirement of less than 300 mg/kg.
At the same time, when choosing clothing, special attention should be paid to these types of clothing. There are four main types of textiles that can easily cause excessive formaldehyde levels:
One is non ironing clothing;
The second is fashionable jeans with varying shades of color;
The third is children's clothing;
The fourth is clothing stored in old and new artificial board furniture.
If the furniture purchased and the large core board used for decoration have a high formaldehyde content, it will directly contaminate the clothes placed in the wardrobe.
04
When buying new clothes, pay attention to the following points
When choosing clothing, the following three points should be noted:
Firstly, purchases should be made through formal channels, as their supply and quality are easily guaranteed, and the quality of after-sales service is generally high;
Secondly, when purchasing products, it is important to check whether there are instructions for use (i.e. product identification) on the product and its packaging, and pay special attention to whether the safety category of the product is indicated. For example, adult clothing should comply with GB18401, and infant clothing should comply with relevant regulations of GB31701;
Thirdly, due to the use of azo dyes for dyeing and printing various natural and synthetic fibers, clothes that are too bright should be purchased as little as possible. Dark colored fabrics generally have poor color fastness, or manufacturers reduce the frequency of cleaning in order to save costs. The risk of residual chemicals in the fabric is relatively high, and some chemicals cannot be cleaned in one go.
Dyes used in bright colors are more difficult to achieve environmental friendliness, so avoid choosing fabrics that are too bright, especially for baby and toddler products.
Therefore, when purchasing textile products for printing and dyeing processing, it is necessary to pay more attention and try to choose clothes with light and elegant colors and small printing areas.
When it is impossible to confirm whether the clothes comply with safety regulations, you can go to the local textile quality inspection center for clothing, bedding, and other various textile inspections.
Some local textile quality inspection centers offer free testing, and consumers do not need to pay any fees regardless of whether the purchased products have quality issues.
At the same time, whether it is personal clothing or outerwear, it should be washed with warm water after purchase. For example, formaldehyde will increase in volatility at around 40 degrees Celsius, and should be worn after formaldehyde has evaporated.
(High quality lifestyle home)
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