Textiles undergo a long processof chemical and non chemical treatments during the process of manufacturing. Textilefinishing includes preparation and pretreatment, dyeing, printing andrefinement of fabrics. One way is to treat the fabric containing cellulosefibres to enable crease resistance is to treat the fabric with a solutioncontaining formaldehyde and a curing catalyst. Later vacuum is applied to theimpregnated fabric to remove the excess impregnation and give a wet pickup. Thefabric is then dried and cured. Formaldehyde, a chemical substance that iswidely used in textiles for its wrinkle resistance properties is an importantcontact allergen. Inflammatory reactions that irritate the skin occur due to thischemical remaining on the clothes even after dry cleaning. These reactions alsohave an allergic cause.
Formaldehyde is a commonchemical compound with versatile uses in aerospace, automotive building andconstruction, textiles etc. It is used in making pill coatings, heart valvesand vaccines. It played a pivotal role in helping Jonas Salk to invent avaccine that would immunize polio without injecting a live virus. It is a knownpreservative used in the production of resins which are used for treatingtextiles. Resins based on formaldehyde are being used for ages on varioustextiles to suppress the shrinking and wrinkling of the fabric. It is used bytextile manufacturers to soften coarse synthetic fibres used in the manufactureof bedding, childrens clothing and other textiles as an anti-shrinking agentand to improve the color fastness of the fabric.
Despite its many uses, thischemical has its own drawbacks. Formaldehyde accounts to 8 percent of thetextile weight of the product. Preservatives in chemicals like auxiliaries forcoating, printing and finishing can release formaldehyde after processing. Arecent assessment by National Industrial Chemicals Notification and AssessmentScheme (NICNAS) states that most health effects arise from the release offormaldehyde from textile fabrics causing irritation to the eyes, and nose; andother allergic reactions when they come into contact with clothes. Formaldehydeis even suspected to have carcinogenic (agent involved in stimulating cancer) properties.
Breathing formaldehyde vapourwill affect the nerves in the eyes and nose. This will result in itching orburning in the eyes, sore throat, coughing, vomiting, running nose andcontinuous sneezing. When the chemical comes into contact with skin, it resultsin rashes, redness in skin and other skin allergies. The seriousness of theallergy level also depends on the individuals previous allergic history. Prolongedexposure to formaldehyde may result in hypersensitivity leading to contactdermatitis. Vision impairment and enlargement of liver may occur from methanolcomponent. Long term exposure in the skin or air can cause asthma or otherrespiratory problems. A study reveals that more number of death due totesticular cancer were among carpet and textile workers.
Possibilities exist for risk ofmelanoma (rare type of skin cancer) among male textile workers. A surprising fact is that while the percentage of formaldehyde allergy in men is 10 percent whereas, itis only 5 percent in women. Children, whose mothers are employed in textileindustry, are exposed to the risk of lymphocytic leukemia. Men are more likelyto be occupationally sensitive to formaldehyde comparatively with women.
Many countries have imposedrestrictions on the presence of this chemical in fabrics. U.S. and European Union have fixed a limit of formaldehyde presence in fabric as rangingfrom 30 ppm to 330 ppm for general purpose textiles. Japan has fixed a limit of15 ppm for infant textiles. Netherlands has banned the import of clothing withmore than 120ppm of formaldehyde content. Textile industries using formaldehydeshould work, subject to the restrictions under the Standard for the UniformScheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP). The benchmark residue levels announcedby Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are based oninternational standards for measuring formaldehyde contents on clothing and areconsistent with most stringent international formaldehyde restrictions.
Apart from Government restrictions, people who wear these clothes should also take proper care to minimize the problems. Formaldehyde is water soluble. Washing the clothes with environmentally safe detergents will reduce the amount of the chemical released from the fabric to a considerable extent.
References:
1) NICNAS, Formaldehyde in clothing and other textiles, October 2007, http://www.nicnas.gov.au
2) http://www.freepatentsonline.com
3) http://www.lifescience-zurich.ch
5) http://www.formaldehyde.org/
6) http://ecorigin-marketinfo.tdctrade.com
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