Fashion
The fashion industry is historically the most affected by the phenomenon of counterfeiting, especially with reference to the sphere of luxury goods or, however, goods that occupy particular and important niches market.
The trade in counterfeit products involves multiple issues ranging from tax evasion to the exploitation of illegal labor and the financing of organized crime.
More than that, the unwary buyers seriously risk their health.
The seizures are sometimes followed by technical and scientific investigations. These studies have shown that much of the counterfeit clothing and accessories have higher quantities than the limits imposed by EU Directives:
- FORMALDEHYDE, a substance used as a bactericide and aimed at preventing the shrinkage of garments, is recognized by AIRC since 2004 as a substance certainly carcinogenic to the human species;
- ALKYLPHENOLS, i.e. chemical compounds particularly used by the textile industry in washing and dyeing processes, which in high quantities cause damage to the hormonal system of sexual development and the reproductive system;
- FTALATES, commonly used to make PVC more flexible, but made indispensable in the textile industries for the processing of artificial leather, and rubber, are present in many products also and especially in children's clothing. Some studies have shown them to be dangerous to the reproductive system;
- Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, which eliminate the risk of flammability of textiles, mainly used for workwear as protection from flames and heat sources. These substances are found to be highly toxic and carcinogenic due to their mutagenesis effect;
- AZOIC DYESTUFFS, the main dyes used in the textile industry, some of these can produce aromatic amines that in certain situations are carcinogenic following prolonged contact with the skin;
- ORGANICOSTANNIC COMPOSTS, which are a class of molecules characterized by the presence of a tin atom. Used in paints and highly toxic, they are considered to be one of the priority pollutants by EU regulations, and cause serious damage to the immune system.
- HEAVY METALS, are contained in some dye pigments and can accumulate in internal organs for a long time and are highly toxic. The following are the contraindications of some of them:
- mercury: nervous system destruction, brain damage, DNA damage;
- nickel: pulmonary embolism, breathing difficulties, asthma and chronic bronchitis, allergic skin reaction;
- Chromium VI: kidney and liver damage, respiratory problems, lung cancer, death;
Thallium: used as rat poison, stomach damage, nervous system damage, coma and death, for those who survive Thallium damage and paralysis remain.
The trafficking of counterfeit products belonging to the fashion industry, due to their profitability, have attracted the attention of organized crime, which has transferred to the counterfeit industry the methodologies and resources once used in drug trafficking and cigarette smuggling.
