Nationwide investigation confirms no formamide in Chinese baby diapers

Chinese authorities said on Wednesday that a nationwide investigation found no formamide in baby diapers, following online claims that the industrial chemical had been detected in the products.

Disease control agencies carried out spot checks on all 168 domestic baby diaper manufacturers — covering 368 batches of diapers from 180 brands, and tested 32 batches of samples from key areas such as diaper waistbands and fasteners.

No formamide was detected, said the investigation team that was jointly set up by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Health Commission and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration in late June.

The investigation team also retested remaining diaper samples from a social media blogger, surnamed Wang, who had claimed to detect formamide. No formamide was detected in any of the samples — totaling 58 batches of products from 15 brands, according to test results from three official, professional testing institutions.

Through exchanges with Wang, testing experts and industry insiders also identified multiple problems in his testing methods, overturning his conclusion that formamide had been detected.

On-site inspections of all 168 manufacturers found that these companies met hygiene standards, with no evidence of formamide being added to or present in production processes or raw materials, the investigation team said.

Authorities also probed positive testing results reported by two private institutions and an individual, finding haphazard testing methods such as a lack of blank and parallel sample testing and a failure to compare peak times with reference standards.

They said no conclusion could be drawn that formamide had been detected based on those tests.

The investigation stressed that testing baby diapers for formamide is a serious and professional inspection activity, and that research into the health hazards of formamide requires prudent and objective study.

Health authorities in Shandong province have handled violations by medical institutions and personnel found during the investigation. Authorities will continue to strengthen supervision of infant products, guide manufacturers in improving quality management systems and hold them accountable for ensuring safety.