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Formaldehyde-related textile allergy: an update
A J Scheman1, P A Carroll, K H Brown
1Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Contact Dermatitis
|August 1, 1998
Summary
Most clothing has formaldehyde levels too low to trigger allergies. Newer textile resins with less formaldehyde are better tolerated by allergic individuals, with DMDHEU being a key allergen.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Allergology
- Textile Science
Background:
- Formaldehyde in clothing can cause contact allergies.
- Textile resins are a common cause of allergic reactions to clothing.
- Assessing formaldehyde levels in fabrics is crucial for patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if current clothing formaldehyde levels pose an allergy risk.
- To investigate textile resins as a cause of contact allergy.
- To evaluate patient reactions to new low-formaldehyde textile resins.
Main Methods:
- Measured free formaldehyde in 16 fabric specimens using Schiff's reagent and Merck methods.
- Compared older medical literature methods with newer textile industry methodologies.
- Patch tested 10 patients with textile allergy to various textile resins, including new low-formaldehyde options.
Main Results:
- Most fabrics had undetectable or low formaldehyde (<200 ppm).
- One fabric showed high formaldehyde by Merck test but low by Japanese Law #112 method.
- All patients reacted to formaldehyde and DMDHEU; some reacted to EUMF and newer resins.
Conclusions:
- Current clothing formaldehyde levels are unlikely to cause widespread allergy.
- Japanese Law #112 is recommended for formaldehyde measurement in textiles.
- DMDHEU is a significant cause of textile allergy; newer resins are better tolerated.