Formaldehyde being used in clothing

[Valvalis]

I was reading an article today, and I thought this was interesting: Apparently, a lot of the new clothes sold in stores lately that are featured as being "wrinkle-free" or "stain-resistant" are treated with formaldehyde resins to get that way. Formaldehyde, the stuff in which they preserve dead animals in science class, is a known carcinogen, or cancer-causing chemical. Now, from what I've been reading, most people who come in contact with it in their clothes would get nothing more than a rash from it, if they have an allergy; however, there are currently no government regulations in place for how much of it a clothing company can use, and also no labels to tell you whether or not it's been used. However, while handling formaldehyde in factories, the workers are required to wear gloves or respiratory masks, since it exists as a gas form at room temperature, and they are exposed to more significant levels of it.

Formaldehyde is a naturally-occurring compound, but we don't encounter it very often in the environment because it doesn't accumulate in large amounts. However, it's actually used in a wide variety of household products--even in the construction of some homes. There's a pretty extensive list here, at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyde

So, what are everyone's thoughts on this? Are nice clothes (and other products) worth being exposed to trace amounts of formaldehyde, when it may or may not cause a problem? Is it any worse than the other chemicals we may be exposed to in our daily lives? What about the factory workers? I'd be interested to hear everyone's views. (And I don't know about anyone else, but I'll definitely pre-wash all my new clothes from now on before wearing them.)

The original articles I was reading are here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/your-money/11wrinkle.html
(Sorry if it doesn't show up, I had trouble at one point with it asking me to log in)

http://www.associatedcontent.com/ar...ou_wash_new_clothes_they_could_pg2.html?cat=5

 

[Gaige]

It's a little frustrating to see that, because they aren't telling us that we have this carcinogen in our clothes, which is the most frightening thing. They aren't telling us to pre wash to get rid of this stuff, and it's not a common fact.

I dislike it, and I'll definitely be pre-washing from now on. I don't see what companies have to lose by telling you this though. We still get wrinkle free stuff. Without the unwanted cancer and respiratory problems. :dave: