[Characterization of cases contravening of regulations regarding primary aromatic amines originating from azo dyes in commercial textile products and leather products in European Union].

Contraventions of regulations regarding primary aromatic amines (PAAs) originating from azo dyes in commercial textile products and leather products in European Union (EU), notified in the period between 2006 and 2012 were collected from the Rapid Alert System for non-food consumer products (RAPEX), were characterized. Various types of products (clothes, footwear, bedding, etc.) and their raw materials (cotton, silk, viscose, leather, etc.) were reported to have contravened the regulations. The contravention frequencies for products made in China and India were higher than those for other countries. Ten percentage of the country in which the reported products were produced was unknown. The notification frequencies for benzidine and 4-aminoazobenzene were higher than those for other PAAs. Contravention of regulations regarding benzidine, 4-aminoazobenzene, and 3,3'-dimethoxybenzidine were notified every year. Contraventions of regulations regarding five PAAs--classified as IARC group 1--were notified one or several times. Since the scale of the survey conducted in Japan were small compared with RAPEX, it is necessary that many kinds and number of products should be surveyed in Japan. In addition, it is also necessary to pay attention to 4-aminoazobenzene, while it has not been detected in the previous studies conducted in Japan.