Official Probe Finds No Formamide in Baby Diapers, Says Earlier Tests Were Flawed

Chinese investigators have found no formamide in baby diapers or in blood samples, nearly four months after social media bloggers claimed to have detected the chemical, which the European Union classifies as toxic to reproduction, and set off widespread public concern.

None of 368 batches of finished diapers from 180 brands contained formamide, and neither did any of the 210 blood samples retested, a joint investigation team said on Thursday. It found that the tests by bloggers, laboratories and a hospital research center that had reported the chemical were unreliable.

The team, made up of the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Health Commission and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, was formed on June 22 as the claims spread online.

Samples were taken from all 168 baby diaper manufacturers in the country, including contract manufacturers, and tested by institutions including the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 32 batches were tested part by part, including waistbands and fastening tabs. On-site inspections found no formamide added to or contained in any manufacturer's production process or raw materials.

The blood tests were carried out by a mass spectrometry center at the Shandong Public Health Clinical Center, starting in June. Experts found serious flaws and concluded the results could not be trusted. The center's head and an assistant both admitted their method was not yet sound, the team said.

The team sealed the center's 210 blood samples and brought them to Beijing, where experts developed a method for detecting formamide in blood. Parallel retests using it found none.

The Shandong Provincial Health Commission has punished the medical institutions and staff for the violations, according to the team.

The investigation also retested 58 batches of leftover diapers from 15 brands tested by a Xiaohongshu blogger surnamed Wang, who runs the account "Kaopu Laowang," and found no formamide. Experts reproduced Wang's testing with him in person and found his method had not been strictly validated.

Another blogger, surnamed Shen, who runs the account "Shen Bo Health Review," posted videos on several platforms after June 20 claiming formamide was found in multiple diaper brands. The team said Shen lacked testing capability and had commissioned a person surnamed Zhao, whose tests used an unvalidated method, ran no blank or parallel samples and deleted raw data.

Hefei Guangce, the third-party lab cited in the claims that formamide had been found in diapers, could not test for the chemical itself and outsourced the work to Suzhou Puze. Experts found Suzhou Puze's tests unreliable. It ran no blank or duplicate samples, and its results matched the reference pattern for formamide by only 7 percent.

Two test reports from Lianxin Testing (Jiangsu), showing formamide at 414mg/kg and 384mg/kg, began circulating online on June 25. The team said they were preliminary drafts the company had sent its client to check sample details. When the company reviewed the data, it found the readings did not match formamide. It then withdrew the drafts and declared both reports invalid.

The team said authorities will step up oversight of baby products and guide manufacturers to improve quality control.