Jeans found contaminated with azo-dyes

Thirteen batches of clothing tested by the city's quality watchdog were substandard, officials said on Wednesday — one batch failed for containing carcinogenic azo-dyes.

Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau checked 84 batches of leisure clothing in total.

Other substandard items included unmatched fiber content, pH index and poor color fastness.

A batch of jeans for females labeled Baleno and sold at the Changli outlet of Pushang Department Store in the Pudong New Area was contaminated with azo-dyes releasing cancer-causing amines. The jeans also had serious quality problems, the bureau said.

Azo-dyes, which have no color and smell, can only be found via technical tests, according to the bureau. They added the dyes can trigger malignant diseases if they come into contact with skin.

The dyes are banned for use on all textile products, according to China's national standard on textiles.

Six batches of clothing failed for pH index. They included trousers for women labeled Basic House and sold at Xinzhuang Parkson, and a batch of jean skirts labeled Lily and sold at the same department store in Minhang District.

A batch of ES jeans sold on yhd.com was also on the list.

Substandard pH index is harmful to the skin,but it is a common substandard item found in textile products, bureau officials said.

In addition, a batch of K.S.BERE jeans sold at No. 1 Yaohan Department Store in Pudong failed for unmatched filler content compared with its label marking.

A batch of Baffee pants for men failed for poor color fastness to sweat and water and fiber content, according to the bureau.