Flammable clothes on sale in Chch

Press, 28 March 1981, Page 28

Flammable clothes on sale in Chch

Dressing gowns made of molleton cloth, a highly flammable brushed cotton, were found offered illegally for sale in three of five smaller suburban shops in Christchurch during a survey last year. The survey of various Christchurch shops selling children’s nightwear was made between September and November by Mrs Jennifer' de Veer. It was collated this year by Dr Peter Ingham, for the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand, to assess the compliance of manufacturers with the safety regulations of the Children’s Night Clothes Act, 1977.. The act prohibits the sale of nightwear in sizes of 12 months to 14 years if the garments do not meet low fire risk requirements. Compulsory labelling about the degree of flammability of children’s nightwear is also required under the act. The three shops selling the molleton . cloth dressing gowns breached the act, .the survey report said. “Molleton cloth is an extremely dangerous fabric because, flame can flash up its raised surface almost explosively on ignition,” .the report said. Garments of this fabric had been responsible for many serious bum accidents to children in New Zealand and overseas, it said. In August last year Paul Wilkins, aged six, suffered serious burns to 30 per cent of the body when the dressing gown he was wearing caught fire and he was enveloped in flames before an. open fire at his home in Cox Street, Merivale. The fabric of the dressing gown was molleton. Dr Ingham said yesterday that molleton cloth was a most appealing fabric, warm and cuddly, and Would be ideal for use in children’s nightwear if it were not for

f its explosive flammability. “It has a very quick sur- ; face flash, and it is the only r fabric known to do this,” he i- said. “The merest flicker of a t flame, the briefest contact with fire, and it just erupts . into flames.” ’ Dr Ingham, who specialises ’ in flame tests pn fabrics for ’ the Wool Research Organisa- ' tion at Lincoln, demonstrated j just how quickly molleton cloth could catch fire. (See t photographs). The instant he put a match P it it, flames licked up the , surface of the fabric. In four ( seconds, the balloon at the ' top had burst. After 25 seconds the entire cloth was burning fiercely and after 40 ! seconds it was all over. ! The length of the cloth, ! for the demonstration, was about the same as a dressing ■ gown on a child of about five : or six. The balloon, represent- ’ ing the child’s head, burst • after four seconds and at this stage the child’s hair would 1 have caught fire. Dr Ingham said that even ! more, distressing would be a child wearing a molleton cloth dressing gown on top of synthetic nightwear. If the dressing gown caught fire the synthetic nightwear ■ underneath would melt and the child would be severely burned—probably lethally so. “It seems incredible, but this has been a frequent combination for children’s night attire. Thermoplastic nightwear—nylon or polyester—is common place for children’s nightwear. It has a low fire risk, because it melts away from the flame. But under a burning molleton cloth dressing gown the whole garment would melt,” Dr Ingham said. Of the dressing gowns made of molleton cloth that were found for sale in Christchurch shops only one was t made commercially. The other two had no brand names and were thought to have been made by home dressakers.

The sale of molleton cloth for making dressing gowns disturbs Dr Ingham. He bought the molleton cloth used in the experiment yesterday from Millers, Ltd, after reading an advertisement in the “Star” on March 7.

The advertisement, placed by Miller’s, offered molleton cloth in “nursery and check patterns.” “Cold days won’t worry the boy or girl who wears a cosy dressing gown made from this cotton molleton,” the advertisement said. A spokesman for Miller’s said yesterday that he had not known at the time the advertisement was placed that molleton cloth was so dangerous. The advertisement had been withdrawn after that when the Consumer’s Institute had brought this to the firm’s attention.

“It never occured to me that it represented such a hazard. I have used it for nightwear for my own children and never had any trouble with it,” he said. Miller’s was still selling the molleton cloth, but a sign had been printed warning potential buyers that “this material has not been flameproofed.” “In the absence of a good alternative cloth, it’s difficult to know what to do,” he said. “I know of one or two customers who have been aware of the danger but who have decided to buy it anyway for children’s dressing gowns because it is so warm. They told us that they would make sure they kept their children under close supervision when wearing it.” The spokesman said that Miller’s was not warning customers of the high flammability of the fabric or that it should not be used for making children’s dressing gowns.

“We have no control over the use of the material,” he said.