Formaldehyde is one of the toxic chemicals used in many fields in the chemical industry. Formaldehyde in gas or liquid form poses a danger to human health in any case.

Human health and environmental problems are growing and forcing people to produce remedies. This is why more ecological movements are mentioned today. Under normal conditions, textile products should not be harmful to human health. However, as a result of the rapid development of technologies, changing demands on the one hand, textile products, which are one of the basic needs of people, are becoming dangerous for human and environmental health in the processes of production, use and destruction.

The aim of the ongoing ecological movements is to try to minimize the existing and potential hazards and their harmful effects. This can only be achieved by producing ecological and environmentally friendly textile products. For this purpose, all processes, from production to use, even after disposal, need to be addressed. In the textile sector, formaldehyde is used in the processing of products. For example, the random and unconscious use of crop protection drugs during cotton production, which has a significant share in agriculture, is a major problem.

Formaldehyde causes health problems such as drowsiness, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and skin rashes. Formaldehyde in liquid form is absorbed by the skin and causes lung, brain and blood cancers in the body.

Formaldehyde spot tests are also performed in textile products within the scope of chemical and ecological tests in authorized laboratories. These studies are based on the following standards:

• TS EN 14181 Constant welding emissions - Quality assurance of automatic measuring systems

 

• ISO 14184-1 Textile - Determination of Formaldehyde - Part 1: Free and hydrolyzed formaldehyde (water extraction method)
• ISO 14184-2 Tekstil - Determination of Formaldehyde - Part 2: Free Formaldehyde (Steam Absorption Method)
• AATCC 112 Formaldehyde release from fabric - Determination of sealing method
• JSA - JIS L 1041 Test methods for some finished textiles