Ho Chi Minh City’s quality testing center has found excessive formaldehyde and aromatic amines in six batches of imported fabric this year, most of it from China.

Hoang Lam, the center’s deputy director, said they would conduct more tests on the contaminated fabric before local customs ordered the companies to destroy or re-export them.

Pham Xuan Hong, vice chairman of Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, said most textile businesses in the country imported fabric to make export garments.

The fabric was usually imported as requested by partners and verified to match safety and quality standards demanded by countries in Europe, the US and Japan, he added.

Under regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade that took effect on December 20, 2009, all imported fabric must be kept at ports and tested to see if they contain carcinogens like formaldehyde and aromatic amines that are often used to prevent moulds.

The current maximum limit on aromatic amines is 30 milligrams per kilogram, while formaldehyde cannot exceed the same amount in garments for children under three.

Other limits on formaldehyde include 75 milligram for garment products that come in contact with human skin, and 300 milligrams for those that do not.

Source: Tuoi Tre