If you were asked what the longest thing a person has been exposed to in their lifetime, everyone would probably have a different answer. Some say it's a wedding ring, some say it's glasses, some say it's clothes...
As everyone knows, we ignore what accompanies us day and night: the bed, and the sheets and quilts on the bed. Sleep accounts for one-third of our lives, which shows how important beds and bedding are.
What I want to remind you here today is that the following kind of bed sheet must not be used again, the longer the contact time, the higher the risk of cancer!
Stop using this kind of bed sheet immediately, it has been exposed by CCTV!
Now that the Internet is becoming more and more developed, many people will choose to shop online when buying bed sheets, and the "price war" of merchants is becoming more and more intense.
I believe that many people have swiped the kind of bed sheets that cost more than ten or twenty yuan, or even only 9.9 yuan a piece and free shipping, as well as the kind of very cheap four-piece bed set.
If you've ever been tempted by this kind of bed sheet, or even bought it, and the color of the bed sheet is bright, and it has a strong pungent smell, then you really need to be careful, because this kind of bed sheet is likely to contain aromatic amine dyes that have long been banned.
In November 2016, CCTV News reported on the case. At that time, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China conducted a quality sampling inspection of the relevant products of the online shopping platform and announced the results of the random inspection.
Among them, a total of 50 batches of bedding were randomly inspected, and 8 batches of unqualified products were found, of which two batches of products were found to be unqualified for decomposable carcinogenic aromatic amine dyes.
How harmful are aromatic amine dyes?
As a chemical substance commonly used in textile dyeing, aromatic amine dyes are widely used in textiles such as bed sheets and clothing because of their bright colors and firm dyeing.
Although aromatic amine dyes look good, the dyed cloth, long-term contact with the skin, its harmful components will enter the human body through the skin, after a series of chemical reactions, the formation of carcinogenic aromatic amine compounds, and finally affect the DNA of human cells, resulting in genetic mutations, and then induce malignant tumors.
In addition, aromatic amine compounds can interfere with the normal function of cells, inhibit the activity of the immune system, and further increase the risk of cancer, and are one of the killers of cancers such as bladder cancer, ureteral cancer and renal pelvic cancer, and their carcinogenicity is even stronger than that of Sudan dyes.
At present, there are 24 kinds of carcinogenic aromatic amines, which are also because of their toxicity, so the mainland has made clear provisions in the "National Basic Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products" to prohibit the use of carcinogenic aromatic amine dyes in textile products.
Although the state expressly prohibits it, and although the relevant departments have repeatedly ordered and reaffirmed that they often conduct random inspections, some people do not hesitate to take risks in the face of interests. Because of its simple production process, low counterfeiting cost, and strong coloring strength, some black-hearted manufacturers will still use it secretly.
Worryingly, the substance has also been detected on clothing on several occasions.
In 2019, the Shanghai Municipal Supervision Department conducted random inspections of luxury clothing, skirts and silk clothing on the market, and found that aromatic amine dyes, a decomposable carcinogen, were detected in a certain skirt.
In October 2022, according to CCTV, the State Administration for Market Regulation carried out a random inspection. During the test, it was found that the fashionable women's clothing produced by a company in Shenzhen was detected to be carcinogenic aromatic amine dye benzidine, and the excess was very serious.
The carcinogenic aromatic amine dye in this women's suit has been measured to be as high as 540 milligrams per kilogram, which means that it exceeds the standard by a full 27 times.
In addition, a denim vest produced by a company in Dongguan was also found to be carcinogenic aromatic amine dyes exceeding the standard value, reaching 30 milligrams per kilogram.
What's even more terrifying is that we are almost unable to prevent it, because this dye is colorless and odorless, and it is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish it, even if it is a professional institution, it is difficult to distinguish it only from the appearance, and it must be detected by professional testing methods.
In addition, the dye is insoluble in water, which means that it is almost impossible for us to remove it by methods such as water washing.
Of course, we are not completely powerless, and the following methods can help us avoid these risks.
How to buy safe and reliable bed sheets?
(1) Look at the purchase channel
As we mentioned earlier, the cost of this type of sheet tends to be low, so the price is also relatively cheaper. Especially the kind of bed sheets that only cost a few or more than a dozen yuan, after removing the labor cost and transportation cost, the cost of raw materials may only be a few dollars or even lower, and the merchant still has to make money, so you can imagine how inferior the quality is, and the quality can not be guaranteed.
So, when you come across the kind of roadside stalls or shopping platforms that sell extremely cheap bed sheets, you have to be careful!
Personally, it is recommended to buy in shopping malls, specialty stores or online flagship stores. Of course, we don't have to deliberately pursue big brands, as long as it is a fully qualified store with decent prices, there will generally be no big problems.
(2) Look at the label
Generally, the product identification content of the product produced by the regular enterprise is complete, if the product is not identified, or the content of the identification is incomplete, non-standardized, and inaccurate, it is also necessary to purchase with caution.
(3) Look at the implementation standards
Regular bed linen has a regular washing label, and the washing label will also indicate the implementation standard and safety technology category. When we buy bedding, we generally only need to look for the CB/T22796-2021 "Bedding" standard or the GB18401-2010 "National Basic Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products".
In addition, textiles also have a safety level, which is mainly divided into three categories: A, B and C, Class A is the standard for infant textile products, Class B is the standard that can be in direct contact with the skin, and Class C is the standard for non-direct contact with the skin.
If conditions permit, try to choose category A, and try not to use category C.
(4) Look at the material
Try to choose natural fiber materials such as pure cotton and pure linen, because many synthetic fibers are processed from industrial materials, and the formaldehyde content is much higher than that of pure natural materials.
(5) Look at the color
Try to choose solid, light, or simple sheets, the darker the color, the more dyes are often used.
Finally, I would like to remind you that the color of the clothing is too bright, there are many prints, and the color is uneven, there is a color difference, or it is easy to fade or stain, so try not to buy it, because the possibility of detecting aromatic amine dyes is relatively large.