Fradin Leads Crusade Against Toxic Formaldehyde Levels
January 23, 2006
BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Stan Fradin, president of Rockland Mills Inc. filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Commerce at Heimtextil in Frankfurt, Germany, regarding the "poisoning of people who handle imported home textiles products containing up to five times the allowable amounts of formaldehyde used in the finishing process."
"China, Pakistan, Korea are sending home textiles containing finishes made of formaldehyde in very high quantities without any testing," he said.
Rockland is one of the world's largest producers of blackout drapery linings. Fradin says that "production costs are greatly lowered with the use of formaldehyde in the finishing process versus other less harsh, non carcinogenic chemicals."
"Right now the US government is doing nothing about this problem but this is going to change because Rockland is getting on a crusade wagon," Fradin said. "We're going to make a lot of noise in Washington, D.C. that the public is unknowingly being poisoned by formaldehyde in these imported textiles."
"We have already told Jim Leonard of the USDOC and he is putting us in touch with EPA, OSHA and Euro Standards and Customs departments to checking the container. At some point, they will inspect the textile coming in and retailers will not be able to get their goods if they don't meet the proper levels of toxicity."
Jim Leonard was not available for comment at the time of posting, as he was away on travel. He later issued this statement: ''Concerns about possible harmful content in home furnishings have been brought to my attention and I will reach out to other agencies to determine the appropriate avenue to address such concerns.''
"We at Rockland want to insure that Americans who are buying these textiles are getting the right product in terms of formaldehyde content. In Europe the requirements governing formaldehyde are even more stringent than in the USA. The French requirements are even stricter. We get letters from Western European customers with the notice of chemicals we can't use in textile finishing, especially formaldehyde."
"Some of the nation's largest retailers asked Rockland to test imported over-the-counter (retail) textiles and the formaldehyde content was off the chart. These retailers are now contacting their suppliers to register a complaint that carcinogenic chemicals in very high levels are being used in the production of imported textiles. Textile producers in the USA fall under the standards of OSHA and will provide MSDS—(Material Safety Data Fact Sheets) to all who request them. Rockland Mills products are within compliance of the formaldehyde code. There is a permissible percentage," he said.
"Formaldehyde makes your eyes tear. It is an extremely dangerous carcinogenic," Fradin said. "You can't have more than so many parts per million of formaldehyde in the finishing process. The U.S. government says to the American manufacturer that 'we're coming out to check you. Are you protecting the employees in the plant? Are you protecting the employees of the people you sell to at retailers and work rooms as well as the end user or consumer?' Yet, foreign producers are not being monitored by our government," he added.
"I don't know what greater issue there is regarding public safety. Everyone points a blazing finger at the tobacco industry. There you have a willing accomplice but in the case of formaldehyde, you don't know you're being exposed to it. The companies which buy it offshore are making a naïve assumption that a blackout is a blackout or a textile is a textile. It can be finished or unfinished textiles that use formaldehyde in the finishing of product. Formaldehyde can be replaced with more expensive chemicals which are not toxic."
"Customers who are wearing blinders will be affected. What's greater than a container pulling into port and someone opens it without knowledge of the carcinogen used in the finishing of the product?"
"China, Pakistan, Korea are sending home textiles containing finishes made of formaldehyde in very high quantities without any testing," he said.
Rockland is one of the world's largest producers of blackout drapery linings. Fradin says that "production costs are greatly lowered with the use of formaldehyde in the finishing process versus other less harsh, non carcinogenic chemicals."
"Right now the US government is doing nothing about this problem but this is going to change because Rockland is getting on a crusade wagon," Fradin said. "We're going to make a lot of noise in Washington, D.C. that the public is unknowingly being poisoned by formaldehyde in these imported textiles."
"We have already told Jim Leonard of the USDOC and he is putting us in touch with EPA, OSHA and Euro Standards and Customs departments to checking the container. At some point, they will inspect the textile coming in and retailers will not be able to get their goods if they don't meet the proper levels of toxicity."
Jim Leonard was not available for comment at the time of posting, as he was away on travel. He later issued this statement: ''Concerns about possible harmful content in home furnishings have been brought to my attention and I will reach out to other agencies to determine the appropriate avenue to address such concerns.''
"We at Rockland want to insure that Americans who are buying these textiles are getting the right product in terms of formaldehyde content. In Europe the requirements governing formaldehyde are even more stringent than in the USA. The French requirements are even stricter. We get letters from Western European customers with the notice of chemicals we can't use in textile finishing, especially formaldehyde."
"Some of the nation's largest retailers asked Rockland to test imported over-the-counter (retail) textiles and the formaldehyde content was off the chart. These retailers are now contacting their suppliers to register a complaint that carcinogenic chemicals in very high levels are being used in the production of imported textiles. Textile producers in the USA fall under the standards of OSHA and will provide MSDS—(Material Safety Data Fact Sheets) to all who request them. Rockland Mills products are within compliance of the formaldehyde code. There is a permissible percentage," he said.
"Formaldehyde makes your eyes tear. It is an extremely dangerous carcinogenic," Fradin said. "You can't have more than so many parts per million of formaldehyde in the finishing process. The U.S. government says to the American manufacturer that 'we're coming out to check you. Are you protecting the employees in the plant? Are you protecting the employees of the people you sell to at retailers and work rooms as well as the end user or consumer?' Yet, foreign producers are not being monitored by our government," he added.
"I don't know what greater issue there is regarding public safety. Everyone points a blazing finger at the tobacco industry. There you have a willing accomplice but in the case of formaldehyde, you don't know you're being exposed to it. The companies which buy it offshore are making a naïve assumption that a blackout is a blackout or a textile is a textile. It can be finished or unfinished textiles that use formaldehyde in the finishing of product. Formaldehyde can be replaced with more expensive chemicals which are not toxic."
"Customers who are wearing blinders will be affected. What's greater than a container pulling into port and someone opens it without knowledge of the carcinogen used in the finishing of the product?"
