Is there really formaldehyde on new clothes?
Clothes in the process is inseparable from formaldehyde, they are often used to remove wrinkles, color preservation, corrosion. Therefore, new clothes will have formaldehyde residue is not normal.
Studies have shown that unwashed clothes will release 0.012 to 0.426 ppm of formaldehyde per day (Note: ppm is a concentration unit, the mass of solute to the total solution mass in parts per million).
In 2014, a CCTV report showed that at least a dozen well-known brands of domestic clothing exceeded the formaldehyde standard, with some brands exceeding the standard by up to 40 percent.
In 2013, a Phoenix report showed that eight samples of 50 brands of children’s knitted underwear sold in the market seriously exceeded the formaldehyde content, with an exceedance rate of 16 percent.
Can formaldehyde really cause cancer?
In 1980, a scientist found through laboratory research that formaldehyde can cause nasal cancer in rats. So, can formaldehyde cause cancer in humans?
In this regard, scientists have conducted numerous studies.
In 2003, a study led by the American Institute for Cancer Research showed that 25,619 workers who were in close contact with formaldehyde at work had a higher risk of dying from leukemia than the general population. But the peak formaldehyde levels that led to cancer were above 4.0 ppm or an average concentration above 1.0 ppm, much greater than the daily release from clothing mentioned earlier.
Another study done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 2004 followed 11,309 workers who worked in a garment factory for more than 3 months and found that formaldehyde exposure was positively associated with the risk of leukemia.
In 2004, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, classified formaldehyde as a class 1 carcinogen, the same level as smoking.
Can wearing new, unwashed clothes cause cancer?
Many people do not have the habit of “washing before wearing” new clothes. A survey with 11,266 participants showed that only 22.8% of people would wash new clothes after buying them.
So, is it true that formaldehyde residue on clothes can cause cancer?
Research on the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde is abundant, but it is basically focused on occupational exposure, and no one has yet studied whether wearing new clothes can cause cancer.
Carcinogenicity is positively correlated with the exposure concentration and duration of exposure to carcinogens, and formaldehyde is lively in nature, so it is difficult to accumulate in the human body.
The concentration and duration of formaldehyde exposure due to wearing new clothes cannot be compared with high concentration and long-term occupational exposure. Therefore, it can be presumed that the cancer risk of wearing unwashed new clothes is very low.
What are the formaldehyde hazards that should be noted?
Although the cancer risk of wearing new clothes without washing is very low, the short-term hazards caused by formaldehyde cannot be ignored.
There are two main types of short-term hazards.
Irritation of the respiratory tract and skin by formaldehyde, with reactions such as tearing, dry cough, sore throat and nausea;
Allergic reactions, most of which are very mild rashes and itching.
But fortunately, these short-term hazards are temporary, as long as you leave formaldehyde exposure in time, the body will return to normal, without leaving organic damage.
The good thing is that formaldehyde is very unstable, easily volatile, and soluble in water, so it is necessary to thoroughly wash new clothes before wearing, especially underwear and underwear in close contact with the body, children’s clothing. Simple washing, you can completely avoid contact with formaldehyde residue on the clothes.
For clothes that can not be washed, in a ventilated place to dry for several days, the same can achieve the effect of removing formaldehyde.