The Saudi Arabian Department of Customs (SADC) announced yesterday that it seized 44,877 pieces of carcinogenic garments during an inspection carried out by SADC on imported goods.

According to SADC’s spokesman the seized goods violated the Saudi standards and specifications stipulated by the Saudi Authority for quality inspection, for containing high levels of a toxic material called formaldehyde, which causes cancer.

The customs seized the garments after conducting laboratory tests on samples and finding that they contain a large amount of formaldehyde, higher than the permissible quantities. Recent scientific studies have warned that high percentages of this substance in clothing material and fabrics poses a serious risk to public health, as it causes hidden diseases, including cancer, sore eyes, as well as weakening the immunity and respiratory systems.

Ahmed Al-Salemi, the director general of public relations at Saudi Customs told a local newspaper that the seized goods have been destroyed, revealing that the customs have several specialized laboratories for detecting counterfeit and harmful goods.

Al-Salemi also disclosed that the customs have several specialized laboratories for subjecting samples of imported goods to inspection and ensure the procedure of examining the goods is timely, in order to avoid the accumulation of goods at the port.

On the other hand, Dr. Mohamed Al- Jamaan, emergency consultant at the University Hospital in Al-Khobar and a specialist on toxins, indicated that formaldehyde is one of the chemicals that causes several dangerous types of cancer if used in excessive quantities, pointing out that unfortunately it is used in several industries.

Moreover, he added that exposure to this substance in large quantities by inhalation may cause nasal cancer and leukemia. Research conducted in the United States of America cautioned industrialists from using this hazardous substance in large quantities, especially in the manufacturing of dyes.

In the same vein, Dr. Rima Hayek, head of oncology at the King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Dammam, said this substance is often used as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories, especially for tissue analysis readings, as it dries cells and enables laboratory specialists to read the results of tissue samples that are installed and stored for long periods of time. Hayek stressed that this chemical should be reserved for laboratory use and not be used in large amounts in industrial products.