More than half of baby and infant clothing items tested by Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog were found to pose safety risks for little ones, including easily detached snaps or buttons, faulty designs with danger of strangulation and residual allergenic chemicals.
The Consumer Council on Thursday urged parents to avoid buying clothes that were prone to having small parts fall off or had cords that were too long, and to wash new items thoroughly before putting them on babies.
“Parents should take into consideration not only the price, appearance and fabric quality, but also potential safety hazards that may arise from the design or manufacturing process,” it said.
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“The council urges manufacturers to not only focus on style but also evaluate risks when designing products.”
The watchdog found that 11 of 30 common models of clothes it tested – known as “Kimono baby gowns” or “butterfly rompers” – had snaps or buttons that came off during tension tests, failing to comply with European standards for toy safety.
The tests were conducted by applying a tensile force of 90 Newtons to various attached to components of the clothing models and holding them for 10 seconds. Among the 11 faulty models, buttons or snaps on four detached at a tensile force of less than 70 Newtons.
The council also found that five models had cords or strings at the upper chest area, breaching European standards that stipulate there should not be any around that area, the head and neck in clothes for children aged seven or below.
One model was found to have a 20cm cord between the chest and the waist, exceeding the maximum limit in European standards by 6cm.
On harmful chemical residues, the council found the amount of free formaldehyde detected in one model stood at 32.3 milligrams per kilogram, exceeding the upper limit (20mg/kg) of mainland China’s standard for textiles intended for infants by more than 50 per cent. The chemical could irritate babies’ skin or even lead to allergic contact dermatitis.
The watchdog also said the price and quality of products “might not necessarily be correlated”. The four models achieving the highest ratings included a two-piece version costing HK$139 (US$17.80) that performed well in all quality indicators.
More from South China Morning Post:
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