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Once again China has made the news; the latest, children’s clothing containing formaldehyde. Even more shocking is the amount of formaldehyde that the clothing contained. The normal person reacts to formaldehyde at 20 parts per million or ppm. According to the New Zealand government, the clothing they tested contained between 230ppm to 18,000ppm. That is 900 times the limit at which it effects people in a detrimental manner.

It’s official, we have become China’s saccharine test rats. The effects from formaldehyde are:

Formaldehyde is an eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritant. Inhalation of vapors can produce narrowing of the bronchi and an accumulation of fluid in the lungs.

Children may be more susceptible than adults to the respiratory effects of formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde solution (formalin) causes corrosive injury to the gastrointestinal tract, especially the pharynx, epiglottis, esophagus, and stomach.

The systemic effects of formaldehyde are due primarily to its metabolic conversion to formate, and may include metabolic acidosis, circulatory shock, respiratory insufficiency, and acute renal failure.

Formaldehyde is a potent sensitizer and a probable human carcinogen.

But wait, there is more:

Even fairly low concentrations of formaldehyde can produce rapid onset of nose and throat irritation, causing cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Higher exposures can cause significant inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, resulting in swelling of the throat, inflammation of the windpipe and bronchi, narrowing of the bronchi, inflammation of the lungs, and accumulation of fluid in the lungs. Pulmonary injury may continue to worsen for 12 hours or more after exposure.

Previously sensitized individuals can develop severe narrowing of the bronchi at very low concentrations (e.g., 0.3 ppm). Bronchial narrowing may begin immediately or can be delayed for 3 to 4 hours; effects may worsen for up to 20 hours after exposure and can persist for several days.

Exposure to certain chemical irritants can lead to Reactive Airway Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a chemically- or irritant-induced type of asthma.

Children may be more vulnerable to corrosive agents than adults because of the relatively smaller diameter of their airways.

Children may be more vulnerable because of relatively increased minute ventilation per kg and failure to evacuate an area promptly when exposed.

Here is something else to consider, which I myself have been guilty of, not washing new cloths. I have been guilty of the buy and wear rule, as I am sure I am not the only one. Think about the parents that purchase new clothing for their children with the “buy and wear” policy. Some children have the habit of chewing on their sleeves; not only are they potentially exposed to formaldehyde on the surface of their skin, but they may also be ingesting the stuff. This is not a comforting prospect.

According to the BBC:

Chinese officials have said the world should have more faith in the Made in China label.

Excuse me, I think the world put too much faith in the “China label” and this is the result. This is what the West gets for wanting cheap goods; we get crappy, tainted, cheap goods. All of us have had the same motto as Walmart, “Expect More, Pay Less”. The reality is that we may pay less but we are certainly not getting more.

Here is the short list of what we have received from the “China label”:

You can read more on the above at Bloomberg, News Target, and also here at Webloggin.

In my August 10th article I wrote:

China can say that its toys are safe and that the recall numbers are low considering the number exported, but they are only referring to their toys. When you factor in the other things that have been recalled that number goes up.

This latest Chinese issue solidifies that point for me. The number of Chinese recalls is extremely high, they can say that it isn’t so, but it is so.

At what point will people recognize that cheaper goods are not necessarily better? It may be better on the pocketbook, but there is a much higher cost to pay; that cost comes in the form health issues and numerous other future problems that will plague America, including the loss of our prospering economy. The fact is we also suffer a trade imbalance. This is not good. An example of this is the exports leaving our country for China, or lack thereof. According to the International Herald Tribune:

…..Law can spot a key distinction among the ships when he checks his computer: images of the ships arriving from Europe or the United States are speckled with “e” markings, short for empty containers.

“Sometimes we get a vessel coming in where the whole thing is empty,” Law said.

Shipping executives call this the problem of the “empties.”

And as a measure of China’s growing power in the world, nothing is quite as poignant.

For the shippers that carry television sets, sneakers and other manufactured goods to the United States and Europe, trade with China is booming, but it is increasingly a one-way street.

Of every 100 containers that crossed the Pacific Ocean from Asia to North America last year, 60 came back empty, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants, a research organization and consultancy.

The containers that did come back full were often transported at a steep discount for lack of demand.

On European routes, 41 percent came back to Asia empty last year.

“Year after year, the gap gets wider and wider and wider,” said Nick Hay, senior vice president at U.S. Lines, a California-based shipper, referring to the shipping imbalance between North America and Asia. “It’s such a big issue. And there’s no end in sight.”

I would gladly pay more to have a good, safe, product and also to keep our trade in check. The United States’ lack of exports could end up being detrimental to the U.S. economy.

Here is one other thing to think about, ADHD. The United States has seen an increase in ADHD. Many have accused vaccinations as the culprit, however new studies have found that ADHD is now being linked to, you guessed it, formaldehyde.

According to the Children’s Health Enviromental Coalition:

Like mold, formaldehyde is a known asthma trigger and an allergen. It can irritate the respiratory tract and cause skin rashes in susceptible individuals. Behavioral problems may also be a symptom of formaldehyde exposure. Numerous case studies have linked exposure to formaldehyde in classrooms with ADHD.

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