EU Safety Gate · Report-2010-48

BYK · Children's clothing

The products pose a chemical risk because they contain hexavalent chromium, in concentrations varying from 0.6 to 5 mg/kg. 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. According to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR; 2007), chromium VI should actually be below the detection limit due to the substance’s cutaneous sensitisation properties, i.e. its ability to cause allergic reactions such as contact dermatitis. Taking into account that the target population is children who have a tendency to suck on their clothing and that the chromium VI content is above established limit values, we consider that exposure may occur not only via the cutaneous route, but also by the oral and inhalatory route and that the products therefore pose a chemical risk.