Toxin tests delay textile containers at City port

HCM CITY — After the Ministry of Industry and Trade passed a new regulation last month requiring all textile imports to undergo a test for toxic substances before entering the country, containers of textile products have been piling up at HCM City’s Cat Lai Port.

The tests are meant to determine if the imports contain formaldehyde or aromatic amines released from nitrogenous dyestuff.

In HCM City, the ministry has designated the Quality Assurance and Testing No 3 (Quatest 3) and the Viet Nam Textile and Garment Institute to do the tests but the two are flooded under, leaving containers stuck at the port for up to 10 days.

The customs office at the port has received 959 declarations from textile businesses since December 20, but only half of them have been tested so far, Nguyen Ba Dinh, deputy head of Sai Gon Port’s zone I customs division, said. Another 370 are awaiting tests by the two agencies.

Dinh said many businesses have blamed the delays for increasing the cost of their goods and affecting delivery schedules. Others have said the testing charges are too high.

“Though our staff work at full capacity, we cannot speed up the testing since every test has to be carried out carefully for accuracy,” Hoang Lam, Quatest 3’s deputy director, said.

Quatest 3 is the only agency in the city that can conduct tests for both formaldehyde and aromatic amine content. The Textile and Garment Institute can only test for formaldehyde.

Quatest receives an average of 20 samples a day and takes seven to 10 days to test each, depending on the number of types of garments and their colours. “Some businesses import huge volumes but of the same type or colour, making the testing process very short,” Lam explained.

His centre is trying to keep charges low despite the huge cost of testing chemicals and equipment. The rates have to be approved by the Ministry of Finance.

Dinh said the city customs asked the General Department of Customs for guidance to handle the containers piling up at the port, but the latter ordered it to scrupulously follow testing regulations.

The Science and Technology Agency said the situation would ease since the Textile and Garment Institute’s HCM City branch is soon going to start testing for aromatic amine content and other international testing centres in HCM City are also preparing to begin testing.

All textile products except those meant for industrial use are tested. — VNS