Is Formaldehyde in Children’s Clothing from China?

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Is Formaldehyde in Children’s Clothing from China?

Healthy Child

Friday, December 25, 2009

QUESTION:
I only dress my baby in 100% cotton clothing, and can't afford organic cotton. I've read that cotton clothing can be considered as safe as organic clothing as far as pesticides go. However, I'm concerned about this year's news that children's clothing imported from China had many times the safe levels of formaldehyde. Can I assume that the formaldehyde was used on non-cotton clothing or poly/cotton blends only, and that all 100% cotton clothes are safe?  

ANSWER:
As far as I can determine, anything coming from China could be a wild card in terms of what is in it, unless you can contact the manufacturer and find out how careful they are about manufacturing. I think I should say that there seem to be wild variables about what you might get from China, but don't assume everything from China is bad.   

Regarding formaldehyde, the standard practice is that formaldehyde is used on cotton if it is permanent press, and on all polyester/cotton woven fabrics. They may add formaldehyde on 100% cotton for some reason unbeknownst to me, but if it is not a permanent press resin finish, it should wash right out as it is very volatile.   

I read an article on this at WorldNetDaily: Poison PJs from China, but it didn't mention if the garments were permanent press or not. It sounded like garments labeled "100% cotton" were found to be contaminated.   

I would be wary of products from China unless you can contact the manufacturer and find out about their safety. I don't want to make assumptions about all products manufactured in China based on bad practices of a few.

Debra :-)

This answer was provided by our friend, Debra Lynn Dadd. Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a pioneering consumer advocate since 1982, specializing in products and lifestyle choices that are safer for human health and the environment. She is the author of Home Safe Home.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

Image Courtesy Of *clairity*/CC BY 2.0

Posted by Goedkope Kinderkleding on 02/24/2012 at 03:24 AM

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Posted by mens running clothes on 06/15/2011 at 01:55 AM

I have been buying my baby’s clothing ahead of the season and at the moment he is in size 12-18 month clothing. It isn’t quite fall/winter weather, but not completely summer weather and I am over run by clothing. At the moment I have it hung up in his closet, but I am running out of room and am wondering how others store their children’s clothing until the season is upon us? I am worried that I will forget what he has and this is why I have hung everything in his closet. THX

Posted by filozima on 02/16/2011 at 08:33 PM

I’ve seen some that are permanent press and threw them out, but am wondering if there is any specific way to identify permanent press in a fabric if the label does not indicate it?

Posted by Jambaroo on 02/05/2011 at 02:40 PM

Perhaps the answer is to buy local?! The quality really is superior, lasts longer, is something unique!

Posted by Nina Abramova on 04/10/2010 at 08:55 PM

I got a lot of ‘hand-me-downs” for my baby and a lot of them are 100% cotton. I’ve seen some that are permanent press and threw them out, but am wondering if there is any specific way to identify permanent press in a fabric if the label does not indicate it? I found some of the fabrics that were marked permanent press (and were 100% cotton) to be more rough than most other cotton clothing I own, plus I always look for the ironing symbol (if it is crossed out on a 100% cotton piece of clothing - I assume it’s permanent press). I am still accepting hand-me-downs and would like to be more knowledgeable about sorting the clothing I get. Although, I do strive to purchase organic cotton clothing most of the time (at least for my baby), just as the person asking the question, I can’t always afford it (especially for myself).

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