LCS
Testing
Eco-textile testing
1 Overview
Ecological textiles refer to those textile products that are made of raw materials that are harmless or less harmful to the surrounding environment and are harmless to human health.
Ecological textiles should meet the following technical requirements
1. The product must not be bleached with chlorine.
2. The product shall not be subjected to anti-mildew finishing and flame retardant finishing.
3. Pentachlorophenol and tetrachlorophenol shall not be added to the product.
4. The product must not have musty smell, gasoline smell and poisonous aromatic smell. If there is an odor, there is residue.
5. The product shall not use azo dyes that decompose into toxic aromatic amine dyes, carcinogenic dyes and dyes that may cause allergies.
6. The formaldehyde, extractable heavy metal content, pH value of leachate, color fastness and pesticide residue in the product should all meet the requirements.
2. Standards and regulatory requirements
Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is the most authoritative and most influential textile ecological standard in the world. Its latest version is the 2015 edition. Based on China's national conditions, relevant departments in my country have formulated GB 18401: National Textile Products, starting from the most basic safety performance. Basic safety regulations and GB 31701: Safety technical specifications for textile products for infants and children.
3. Test items
|
pH |
Formaldehyde content |
Extractable heavy metals |
Hexavalent chromium |
Insecticide |
|
Phenols |
Azo/Allergenic/Carcinogenic Dyes |
Chlorobenzene and Chlorotoluene |
Phthalates |
Organotin |
|
Color fastness |
volatile organic compounds |
odor |
asbestos |
|
pH
The pH of human skin is between 4.5 and 6.0, and the slight acidity protects the skin against bacteria and viruses. As people get older, the skin will become more and more neutral and cannot be antibacterial as before. Textiles that are neutral or slightly acidic are beneficial to the human body. If the pH of the textile is too high or too low, the skin surface is easily damaged.
formaldehyde
Formaldehyde endows textiles with anti-shrinkage, anti-wrinkle, and non-iron functions. This volatile substance is easily released from the fabric, which damages the health of the human body, especially causing irritation to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Extractable heavy metals
|
（Sb) |
（As） |
（Pb) |
（Cd） |
（Cr） |
|
（Co) |
（Cu） |
（Ni) |
（Hg） |
（Cr VI） |
Plants will absorb heavy metals in the soil during the planting process. There are heavy metals in the post-treatment process of textiles and various dyes. When heavy metals enter the human body, they will accumulate in the organs. Once this accumulation reaches a certain level, it will have a serious impact on our health. We simulate human sweat and extract these heavy metals to detect the content of heavy metals in textiles.
Azo/Allergenic/Carcinogenic Dyes
The dyes in clothing fabrics are in contact with the skin for a long time, and their safety is undoubtedly very important. Azo dyes are a large class of common dyes and are widely used in textile and leather industries. However, some of the dyes are believed to be reduced to aromatic amines that are harmful to human health. Some dyes that are highly dispersed in water have very small molecules and may be absorbed in prolonged contact with the skin. Some of these dyes are thought to be sensitizing and carcinogenic.
Phthalates
Phthalates are commonly used plasticizers that are added to plastics and coatings to enhance their properties. Incoming studies have shown that some phthalates can have adverse effects on child development, so there are strict restrictions on the toys that babies enter.
Organotin
Organotin has antibacterial, anti-mildew and other biological killing effects, and is used in shoe linings, gloves, child care products and other products. High concentrations of organotin are neurotoxic when absorbed by the human body through the skin.
Color fastness
Color fastness is the basic requirement of consumers for product performance, which directly reflects product quality. Dye shedding not only affects the appearance of the garment, the dye is more likely to be absorbed by the body through the skin. Four color fastness indexes are selected in the ecological textile standard, which are water stain, perspiration (acid/alkaline), abrasion resistance (dry/wet) and saliva (especially for infants and young children). The color fastness to saliva and perspiration of baby clothing is particularly important because infants and young children can absorb dyes through saliva and perspiration.