The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently conducted a regular market spot check, testing a total of 199 types of textiles and found that four pairs of jeans and a pillowcase contained potentially harmful azo dyes, and the content exceeded commonly used Acceptable limits. Voluntary recalls of related products are borne by suppliers.
Currently, product safety regulations in the European Union and some Asian countries prohibit the use of certain azo dyes in textiles. Some U.S. retailers have also implemented restrictive guidelines for certain azo dyes on their products. There are currently no laws or regulations in place in Australia prohibiting the import of products containing azo dyes. Therefore, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme) of the Australian Department of Health has taken action to ban the sale of clothing containing harmful azo dyes and recommended that the ACCC restrict the import of such products.
There is currently no legislation in Australia restricting the content of any harmful chemicals in textiles, but the ACCC has the power to recommend or force suppliers to recall unsafe consumer products in accordance with the Australian Consumer Act. It is known that not all azo dyes in textiles cause problems, but some colorants are classified as carcinogens and they should not be used in products with long-term skin contact.
According to the ACCC, consumer product suppliers should have a responsibility to ensure that their products comply with the law and are suitable for safe use. In this case, suppliers should ensure that their products that come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin do not contain harmful aromatic amines at levels exceeding 30 mg/kg.
In addition to the safety issues of harmful azo colorants, the ACCC also actively monitors the safety of consumer products containing formaldehyde. Any product that may cause harm and does not comply with mandatory standards or bans needs to be recalled. The ACCC also provides temporary, non-regulatory reference limits for formaldehyde for a variety of products:
Baby clothing: 30 mg/kg
Clothing specifically sold to people with sensitive skin: 30 mg/kg
Clothing in contact with skin: 100 mg/kg
Other clothing or fabrics: 300 mg/kg
