Does children's clothing made in China contain Formaldehyde?

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.