More than 5.6 thousand tested samples of various products: textiles, fuels, toys – these are the latest results of tests performed by laboratories of UOKiK. How to examine the quality of fabrics? Why clothes lose colours – more about this on 12th May, at UOKiK’s exhibition tent during the Science Picnic

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection has nine laboratories, which perform detailed tests on various products: in Bydgoszcz – liquid fuels and household chemicals, in Lublin – toys, in Łódź – textiles, in Katowice, Kielce, Olsztyn, Poznań, Warsaw and Wrocław – food products. Each laboratory is certified by the Polish Centre for Accreditation, which means that they are competent to assess whether tested samples are compliant with binding provisions. Samples are collected during inspections performed by the Trade Inspection – a negative result constitutes a basis for further actions. In their activities, laboratories introduce new research methods, submit proposals for amendments to reviewed drafts of legal acts and Polish Standards. Due to professional analyses, it is possible to remove from the market hazardous and poor quality products.

Tomorrow at the Science Picnic chemists from the Specialist Laboratory for Textile Products and Instrumental Analysis in Łódź will conduct experiments in the domain of textiles and textile metrology. Laboratory assistants from UOKiK will present e.g. the smell of burning cotton and wool fibres, if formic acid can burn a hole in tights, why only selected towels absorb moisure and some jeans are dirt-leaving. We encourage you to attend the shows on 12^th May, from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, the Park of Marshall Rydz-Śmigły in Warsaw. The exhibition tent of UOKiK will be located in sector II, standing 106.

Researches

In 2011 laboratories tested 5 623 samples, out of which 1 177 were questioned due to their non-compliance with quality standards. A year earlier – 7 077 samples were examined, of which 1 544 were contested. Food, textiles, fuels and toys were among the most frequently inspected products. Tests also allow to detect components that were not declared by a manufacturer on the packaging of food – e.g. sweeteners, preservatives, phosphates or higher than declared fat content. In case of textile products or toys, thanks to laboratory tests we can discover whether a particular product contains hazardous substances – e.g. the content of phthalate in plastic components higher than the permissible limit. Equally valuable are analyses of household chemicals, which enable to assess the quality of products sold to consumers, e.g. detect, whether a washing-up liquid contains an excessive amount of sodium chloride instead of a substance removing grease. Thanks to sodium chloride washing-up liquids are very thick, but ineffective. The packaging of washing-up liquids contains no information concerning sodium chloride, that is why specific inspections  are required.

Tasks of the laboratory include also the analysis of tanked fuels. As revealed the inspections, diesel oils tested in the previous year had, among others, too low temperature of ignition, which might have posed a risk of explosion of oil vapours during filling the fuel from a distributor to a tank. In case of gasoline – among others the oxygen content was overstated.

Labels

Each consumer should be obliged to carefully read labels of purchased products. Even though this analysis is not as detailed as laboratory tests, it facilitates selection of products. Therefore, what should we take into account when buying:

Food

According to the law, food intended for sale shall be marked properly. Producers shall, among others, indicate an expiry date, list of ingredients, their quantity, etc. Under the law, certain food products shall be compliant with minimum quality standards. This group includes inter alia the following products: milk, butter, fat spread, olive oil, honey or chocolate products. In case of food, for which the law does not specify minimum standards – the quality parameters shall be indicated by a manufacturer, declaring them on a packaging or a label. This refers also to: meat and vegetable products, soft drinks and bakery products.

Toys

Each toy (or its packaging) shall bear the CE mark, which confirms the compliance of the product with safety requirements. Depending on the type of a toy, regardless the age of children to whom it was indented for, it is necessary to pay attention, among others, to protruding parts – pipes and rigid components, which may prove dangerous to a child, and these shall be covered. Folding mechanisms in other toys, e.g. in ironing boards, folding chairs of toy carriages shall be equipped with safety locks.

Clothes

According to the provisions, all textile products shall contain the information about the composition and clothing maintenance – indicating, among others, methods of washing, drying and ironing – written with a single, legible and clear font. Furthermore, clothes shall bear information allowing for the identification of the entity responsible for placing the product on the market. The information shall be in Polish. Particular attention must be paid when buying clothes for children. We should check, whether e.g. decorative elements are properly fixed and children will not be able separate them (applicable to children under 3 years of age).

Assistance

Any objections related to the labelling, quality and safety of products may be reported to voivodeship inspectorates of the Trade Inspection. Furthermore, you can obtain free counselling in pursuing claims from district or municipal consumer ombudsmen. Free assistance provided by the Consumer Federation is also available at the telephone number: 800 007 707 and in its branch offices. Consumer advisory services in Poland are financed, among others, from the budget of UOKiK.

Additional information for the media:
Grażyna Strobin, Director
Specialist Laboratory for Textile Products
and Instrumental Analysis in Łódź
ul. Skłodowskiej-Curie 19/27, Building B
90-570 Łódź
Phone: +48 42 633 31 79, 42 633 85 61
Fax: +48 42 633 31 82
E-mail: [SCODE]bGxvQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]

Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Phone: +48 22 55 60 106
Fax: +48 22 826 11 86
E-mail: [SCODE]bWFsZ29yemF0YS5jaWVsb2NoQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]