A line of foam flooring tiles made by Ming Yang International Co has been found to contain concentrations of dimethylformamide (DMF) more than three times the maximum level allowed by government safety standards, the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection said.
A laboratory test performed jointly by the bureau and the Consumers’ Foundation found the company’s “Rainbow” series of safety foam tiles, designed to be used in schools and private residences, to contain 635 parts per million (ppm) of DMF, while no more than 200ppm is allowed by the government, the bureau said in a statement.
DMF is a toxic solvent used in the production of plastics as a foaming agent and might affect the central nervous and reproductive systems when taken into the body through skin contact, inhalation or ingestion, while prolonged exposure might cause allergies or put pregnant women at risk of having a baby with genetic abnormalities, the foundation said.
The use of DMF in toys designed for children under the age of 14 has been banned by the government, while tests carried out on animals showed that mice weighing less than 1kg had a 50 percent mortality rate after being exposed to 3,900ppm of DMF via inhalation, it added.
While regulations do not require the foam tiles that turned out to be tainted to undergo pre-distribution tests carried out by government agencies, they must still comply with the Consumer Protection Act’s (消費者保護法) standards, bureau officials said.
The bureau said that it demanded Ming Yang International recall the faulty products and imposed a deadline before which the company must bring all of its products to compliance, or incur a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$1.5 million (US$1,812 and US$45,294).
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