FORMALDEHYDE
WHAT IS IT?
Formaldehyde is a volatile chemical widely used in the textile and leather industries as preservative for vegetable and animal raw materials, anti-wrinkling and anti-shrinking agent for cotton products, dyeing and printing fixative and leather tanning agent.
Effects
This substance is strongly allergenic through contact (skin, eyes), inhalation and digestion. Furthermore, it is potentially a human carcinogenic agent and is also associated with allergic asthma.
Uses
This chemical substance can be found in leather goods and textiles acting as:
• Biocide for the preservation of textile materials.
• Colour fixer and printer.
• Component in urea, melamine and phenolic resins (anti-crease and anti-shrinkage).
• Cross-linking agent in printing pastes for the fixing of certain dyes.
Limits
Presence in textile products (including printings and plastisol) and leather over the
following concentrations:
16 ppm for babies
75 ppm in direct skin contact
300 ppm with no direct skin contact
[Intended limit: 5 ppm]
TEST METHOD
– EN ISO 14184-1:2011- Textile
– EN ISO 17226-1/2:2008 – Leather
– Japan Law 112(JIS 1041:2011) – Textile
– Chinese GB/T 2912 – Textile
SUBSTANCES ANALYZED:
FORMALDEHYDE CAS NO-50-00-00