Italian brand recalls toxic T-shirts sold in Turkey

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet Photo

Italian textile brand Stefanel has recalled some of its T-shirts sold in Turkey because of toxic dyes used in them.

The company put a notice in local newspapers, asking customers to return the T-shirts that have the toxic dyes within 15 days.

“The product and shipping costs will be refunded,” the statement said.

The 15 colorful shirts at risk of having hazardous dyes were sold between April and May at the Stefanel branch in Istanbul’s luxurious shopping district of Nişantaşı, according to daily Milliyet.

According to a regulation introduced in 2009, if a products tests positive for health risks or appears to be insanitary, the Turkish Economy Ministry blocks all of the company’s imports to Turkey automatically.
“The products that the company imports will be tested from now on. Its products will wait at customs and all of the testing, destruction and notification expenses will be paid by it,” Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters’ Association general secretary Hikmet Tanrıverdi told daily Milliyet.

The product found in the t-shirt is azo dye, which has been banned in several countries and the European Union because of carcinogenic components it contains.

Importations of products containing quantities of azo dye less than 30 parts per million (ppm) are permitted, but anything above this level is perceived to have health risks.

Products with azo dye are checked twice in Turkey, Tanrıverdi said, adding that the rate of carcinogenic material detected has dropped by 40 percent since 2009, when the Economy Ministry’s stricter program came into action.