STOCKHOLM – Quinoline, a skin irritant and a potentially hazardous substance used in the production of some reactive textile dyestuffs, was detected in 29 of the 31 clothing samples tested in a recent Swedish study, which details a new technique for identifying quinoline and its derivatives in fabrics. Clothing products investigated by the researchers originated from 17 countries and were purchased in Sweden, with by far the highest concentrations of quinolone found in polyester textiles. Three of the samples with quinolone traces were made of organic cotton and labelled with EU or Nordic eco-labels. Brett Mathews reports.
