Formaldehyde is nasty stuff that shouldn't be in clothes, yet a scientist employed by the New Zealand consumer TV program "Watchdog" found high levels in children's clothes:
The government ordered the probe after scientists hired by a consumer watchdog programme discovered formaldehyde in Chinese clothes at levels of up to 900 times regarded as safe. Manufacturers sometimes apply formaldehyde to clothes to prevent mildew. It can cause skin rashes, irritation to the eyes and throat and allergic reactions.
FT notes that textiles and clothing currently make up more than 13 per cent of China's exports.
Washington Post: NZ Investigates China Clothes Imports
Financial Times: Poison clothes add to China export scares
Blogs I Like
- Ad B: Japan Navigator
- Adventures of a (Swedish) Salariman in Tokyo
- Amy: Blue Lotus
- Boing Boing: Wonderful Things
- Brendan: UNU OurWorld 2.0
- Hiroko & Rick: Itadakimasu
- Jared B: Tokyo Green Space
- Joan: Popcorn Homestead
- Jon: Toshogu or As I See Japan... From L.A.
- Justin B: The Rational Pessimist (Climate & Risk)
- Kat: Food Adventures in Japan
- Ken: KenElwood in semi-rural Japan
- Mari: Watashi to Tokyo
- MTC: Shisaku
- Otakimura: In The Pines
- P: Pacific Islander
- Peko Peko: Kyoto Foodie
- Richard H: Spike Japan
- Risa & Kirk: Savory Japan
- Robert: Pure Land Mountain
- Shizuoka Gourmet
- Ten Thousand Things
- Tom: Kitchen Garden in Japan
Links I Like
- News: About Sweden in English
- News: BBC
- News: Der Spiegel (Germany) in English
- News: Deutche Welle
- News: FT Asia (UK, EU)
- News: Kyoto Journal (Japan)
- News: NHK World Society & Others (Japan)
- News: People's Daily (China)
- News: Telegraph (UK)
- News: The Local (Sweden)
- News: Yomiuri Online (Japan)
- News: Yonhap (Korea)
- NGOs/News: Organic Consumers Association (US)
- NGOs: Amnesty
- NGOs: Consumers Union (US) Food
- NGOs: Consumers Union of Japan
- NGOs: Greenpeace
- NGOs: Greenz.jp
- NGOs: Japan for Sustainability
- NGOs: Japan Organic Agriculture Association
- NGOs: Japan Vegetarian Society
- Shops: Alishan Organic Center
- Shops: Eco to Waza (GreenJapan)
- Shops: Warabe Mura
- Stuff: Japan Probe
- Treehugger
2 comments:
I hope all the attention on China's consumer issues also succeeds in drawing attention to the fact that corporations everywhere are posing dangers with the way the do business.
There is a danger than China will become the "whipping boy" while American and other corporations continue to harm consumers and the environment.
...and to the fact that our pension funds and other stock market activities are also linked to how much profit said corporations can squeeze out of Chinese workers... The toxic substances used in China should be an issue for labour unions, as well as workers' protection agencies.
Frankly I am inclined to be less concerned about the impact on kids occasionally playing with a Mattel toy in a developed country - the daily exposure on the Chinese factory workers must be horrendous. Of course the Western media conveniently ignores that point.
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