The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection yesterday said its latest round of inspections had showed that 16 types of ready-to-wear clothing, accessories and towels contained residues of carcinogenic agents.
The bureau last month began an investigation into imported clothing, bags, towels and other textiles sold nationwide that had questionable labeling. After inspecting and testing 31 samples, the bureau said it had found that two types of ready-to-wear clothing contained free formaldehyde, one of which contained amounts as high as 109 parts per million (ppm), which exceeds the maximum 75ppm allowed by national standards.
Nine of the samples of clothing contained aromatic amines, one of which contained 138.8ppm of the substance, which is more than four times the 30ppm maximum.
Four samples of bags and accessories and one sample of towels also tested positive for harmful substances, such as free formaldehyde and lead, but did not exceed maximum amounts allowed by national standards.
“Coming into contact with free formaldehyde may cause the skin to develop rashes or allergies, while breathing free formaldehyde could cause cancer to develop in the respiratory tracts,” Bureau Deputy Director-General Huang Lai-ho (黃來和) said. “Aromatic amines have also been shown to cause cancer.”
Aside from containing harmful substances, the bureau also found that thousands of articles of clothing mislabeled their country of origin. About 4,000 pieces of clothing were labeled “made in Taiwan,” but were actually manufactured in South Korea, Huang said.
Many of the mislabeled clothing also falsely indicated the fiber amount or type of material used to make the clothing, which constitutes infringement of consumers’ rights, the director said.
Bureau officials have ordered the products to be taken off the shelves and recalled or vendors will face fines of between NT$20,000 and NT$200,000.
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