Abstract
Cotton fabrics were finished with various concentrations of phosphoruscontaining flame retardant, THPC, having the hydroxymethyl groups. In some experiments, melamine formaldehyde resin was used as a co-agent. Content of finishing agents, phosphorus content, oxygen index, and free formaldehyde content by the acetylacetone method were determined.
A huge amount of free formaldehyde were detected from each finished fabrics without soaping. Even from the finished fabrics with sufficient soaping, a considerable amount of free formaldehyde were detected similarly. The finished fabrics which emitted no free formaldehyde and possessed a sufficient flame retardancy had not been obtained.
These results have suggested that if a consumer complaint is brought against finished fabrics about the presence of the formaldehyde, THPC is unsuitable as the flame retardant.
