Posted by By Ike Nnamdi, The Sun Reporter, on
The United States authorities say that China is using the same chemicals used to preserve dead bodies to treat cheap textiles sold in Nigeria and several other African countries and thereby exposing buyers to serious health risks.
The United States authorities say that China is using the same chemicals used to preserve dead bodies to treat cheap textiles sold in Nigeria and several other African countries and thereby exposing buyers to serious health risks.
The alarm is the latest safety problems affecting Chinese goods, which has spread from toys to textiles.
The American Health Department said 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.
Officials stated that most of the affected textiles are shipped to Africa, where there is little government oversight on the booming second hand clothing. The chemical can cause skin rashes, irritation to the eyes and throat and allergic reactions.
The investigation is the first time that the safety of Chinese clothes has been called into question. Worldwide concerns have been raised over a series of Chinese products in recent months, including toys, food and toothpaste.
Last week, toy giant retailer, Mattel, said it was recalling 18.2million toys globally because of hazards, such as the use of lead paint. The latest concerns came as Li Changjiang, head of China's safety watchdog, claimed the product safety scares were "a new trend of trade protectionism," and accused some governments of "demonizing China's products."
His comments reflected Beijing's anxiety over growing fears of Chinese exports in the US and Europe and Africa, but they were dismissed by the American regulatory authorities and Peter Mandelson, the European Union trade commissioner.
"The allegation that American and European companies' action against toxic Chinese goods is politically motivated and shows bias against China is totally false," he said.
"As trade commissioner, I will not accept claims of toxicity being used as a pretext for protectionism," he added.
Economists said the safety scandals have so far had limited impact on exports, in part as toys accounted for less than one per cent of overall exports last year, while foodstuffs made up 1.4 per cent. Textiles and clothing made up more than 13 per cent of exports in the first half of the year.
"The textile sector is a much more important part of China's exports, so this will be more of a cause for concern for the authorities," said Mark Williams, an economist at Capital Economics in London.
"However, these cases are still a drop in the ocean in terms of China's overall trade," he said.