Contact dermatitis due to formaldehyde in clothing textiles

Abstract

Formaldehyde resins are widely used in the textile industry in textile finishing. Many wrinkle-proof, creaseresistant, and waterproof fabrics have been treated in this manner. Contact dermatitis due to formaldehyde contained in textiles has been reported from the European countries but no authenticated cases have been reported in the United States. This report describes three patients with allergic contact dermatitis due to formaldehyde contained in wearing apparel. The patients had positive patch tests to formaldehyde and to samples of textiles shown by chemical analysis to contain formaldehyde. There was correlation between the outbreaks of dermatitis and the use of formaldehyde-containing fabrics.