L & S women’s trousers - diffusion — chemical risk

Hazard

The product poses a chemical risk because it contains Hexavalent Chromium, in concentrations varying from 1.6 to 14.1 mg/kg. Given that Oeko Tex Standard 100 states that, to ensure optimum quality, total chromium content should be less than 1 mg/kg for children’s clothing and less than 2 mg/kg for all other clothing, regardless of whether it is in contact with the skin, and that Chromium VI should actually be below the detection threshold, we feel a limit of 5 mg/kg of Chromium VI is a practical threshold beyond which there is a serious risk of allergic contact dermatitis. In support of this, there are clinical studies which indicate that, for leather goods, 50% of sensitive subjects experienced contact dermatitis at this level. By analogy, and given that these articles will be in direct contact with the skin for possibly an entire working day, we believe that they pose a serious risk of allergy to consumers.

Measures taken

• Seizure of the products ordered by the authorities — Other

Product description

Women’s purple velvet trousers. The cardboard swing ticket is silver and bears the brand of the article and the word “Diffusion” in orange. The lower part of the ticket bears pictures of small orange balls. The garment is packaged in a transparent plastic envelope with adhesive ends. The brand of the article and the word “Diffusion” are printed on it in black.