SON raises alarm over cancer-causing substances in school uniforms

Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has alerted the nation on some cancer-causing substances found in some school uniform materials made by two China-based companies.
The Special Assistant and Head of Public Relations to the DirectorGeneral of SON, Bola Fashina, said in a statement yesterday that the azo dyes which were found in some school uniforms in Hong Kong contained up to 173 milligrammes and 41 milligrammes per kilogramme of the tested samples, respectively, which were well above the maximum allowed in the standard.
According to him, the cancer-causing uniforms are made by two China-based companies, Sing Shun Fat School-Clothier Company and Zenith Uniform Company.
Fashina said azo dyes could release carcinogenic substances known as aromatic amines when they mixed with sweat, which accounted for the ban on the use of the dye in many countries of the world.
The SON Chief Executive, Mr.
Osita Aboloma, he said, had advised importers of school uniform materials in Nigeria to endeavour to undergo the process of conformity assessment of such materials prior to import.
Such verification, he said, should be made through the Standards Organisation of Nigeria off-shore conformity assessment programme (SONCAP), in order to avoid bringing them to the country.
He further advised Nigerians to report any suspected uniform materials that “may already be in the country to SON for necessary, sampling, laboratory tests and analysis to be carried out at its Textile and Leather Laboratory in Kaduna for necessary regulatory action.” “All international accredited firms (IAFs) undertaking the off-shore conformity assessment programme on behalf of the SON all over the world have been put on alert regarding the cancer-causing substance in school uniform materials and other clothing materials to be imported into Nigeria,” he said