Flaming pyjamas, poisoned trousers from China

First it was toys, now Chinese-made children's clothing is under the microscope after two young boys were injured when their flannelette pyjamas - labelled low fire danger - caught fire.

It follows revelations to be aired on TV3's Target programme this week that children's clothing made in China and sold here contained the chemical formaldehyde at levels 500 times higher than is safe.

Both pyjama incidents happened in July and involved the same type of TWL-brand flannelette pyjamas bought from The Warehouse, which has pulled the product from its shelves.

Following complaints, the Commerce Commission told The Warehouse on Saturday it was investigating the accidents.

The commission is having the pyjamas, which have tags saying "low fire danger" and "made in China", independently tested to ensure they meet minimum safety standards and were labelled correctly.

Product safety standards for nightwear manufactured, distributed or sold here aim to ensure the garments are either designed to reduce the danger of catching fire, or are made of fabrics less likely to burn if they do catch fire.

"Once the results of the tests are known, the commission will decide whether further action is required," a Commerce Commission spokeswoman said.

The results of the tests should be known by the end of the week.

Warehouse spokeswoman Cynthia Church said the company was urging everyone to remain vigilant and ensure the safety of children around fires and heaters.

She would not release any more information about the boys that were injured. The Commerce Commission also remained tight-lipped on the complaints, refusing to comment before testing was complete.

It is the latest saga in a growing list of incidents raising public fears over the safety of Chinese-made goods, and not the first time children have been the victims.

Target's testing found massive levels of formaldehyde on Chinese-made children's clothes after a member of the public became concerned when their child developed a rash after wearing the garments.

AgriQuality tested four pairs of trousers.

"We were told that 20 parts per million is when it can start affecting a human being," Target producer Simon Roy said.

"The measurements we got were (in the worst case) 900 times that, which is phenomenal."

Formaldehyde in low levels is commonly used in clothes for its crease resistant properties. However the chemical has been classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen.

In high doses it can cause eye, skin and nasal irritations, breathing problems and asthma.

Green MP Sue Kedgley was alarmed by the results, saying it highlighted a huge gap in our product safety laws.

"It certainly could be in other imports (and) it does raise a much wider concern. There should be some way of making sure our products are not undermining our health (but) no one's checking so we don't know."

Ms Kedgley felt the Labour Government had been slow to react to dodgy Chinese imports because they did not want to jeopardise its free trade agreement being negotiated with the super power.

New Zealand was put on alert in early August when toy-making giant Mattel announced a world-wide recall of 1.5 million Sesame Street and "Dora" toys made in China which were found to contain excessive lead in their paint.

The recall extended to other brands and has become one of the largest in history - totalling 18 million toys.

In June the discount chain Just $2 recalled Excel toothpaste from New Zealand shelves when they were found to contain diethylene glycol - a toxic substance used in antifreeze and solvents.

In July the Sydney Morning Herald reported importer Charles Parsons had begun a national recall of its Superlux blanket, made in China, which contained double the safe level of formaldehyde.

This followed Sheridan's recall of chinese made Indulgence blankets after finding them to have 10 times the safe level of the chemical.I