Disposable underwear was exposed by the "3.15" evening party! How to avoid choosing unhygienic disposable underwear?

Disposable underwear is favored by tourists, people with special needs (such as pregnant women) and other groups due to its convenience, hygiene and comfort. Last night's "3.15" evening party exposed the illegal operations of some unscrupulous merchants: they bought sanitary napkins and diapers that should have been destroyed from regular manufacturers at low prices, resold them at high prices after sorting, and made disposable underwear by hand without sterilization, which was shocking.

Source: Contents exposed by the “3.15” Gala

As ordinary consumers, how can we avoid choosing unhygienic disposable underwear? Here are 3 steps to help you filter them.

0 1 Check whether the product standards are complete

When buying disposable underwear, you should carefully check whether the labels on the product packaging are complete. Specifically, you need to check the following:

1. Hygiene standards: Look for GB15979-2002 "Hygiene Standards for Disposable Hygiene Products". This standard has strict requirements for bacteria, E. coli, fungi, etc., which can be used to see whether the disinfection requirements are met.

Image source: GB15979-2002 "Hygiene Standards for Disposable Sanitary Products"

Note: GB stands for "Guo Biao" , which is the abbreviation of China's national standard.

2. Safety technology category: Look for GB18401-2010 "National Basic Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products". Disposable underwear, as a product that comes into direct contact with the skin, should comply with Class A or Class B requirements.

Image source: GB18401-2010 "National Basic Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products"

3. Product standards: There is currently no national standard for disposable underwear, and most corporate standards follow the GB/T8878-2023 "Knitted Underwear" standard. Since the latest version of the knitted underwear standard will not be implemented until December 1, 2023, products produced before this date are still marked with the GB/T8878-2014 standard number.

GB/T stands for "recommended national standard", which refers to a type of standard that is voluntarily adopted through economic means in production, exchange, use, etc., also known as voluntary standards.

It is worth mentioning that: On June 25, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (National Standardization Administration) issued the "Announcement on the Approval of the Release of 18 Mandatory National Standards including "Steel for Reinforced Concrete Part 1: Hot-rolled Plain Round Steel Bars" (Announcement of the National Standards of the People's Republic of China in 2024 No. 12), of which the two mandatory national standards in the field of disinfection are numbered and named as follows: 1. GB 15979-2024 Hygienic Requirements for Disposable Sanitary Products (Replacing GB 15979-2002) 2. GB 28931-2024 Hygienic Requirements for Chlorine Dioxide Disinfectant Generators (Replacing GB 28931-2012)

The above two mandatory national standards will be implemented from July 1, 2025. The revised new standards clarify the definition and classification of disposable sanitary products; improve product hygiene requirements; add, optimize and adjust relevant evaluation and testing methods, etc.

0 2 Second, look at the material: "all cotton" material is preferred

There are two types of disposable underwear on the market: one is the traditional disposable silk underwear , which is generally made through 25 processes, including spinning, dyeing and plating. In the middle, it is inevitable that human hands will cause secondary pollution, and it is inevitable that there will be lint and hygiene problems. The other is the all-cotton water-stained one-piece underwear , which uses an innovative water-stained one-piece forming process, pure physical processing, and only 6 processes. But compared with traditional disposable silk underwear, it may not be so docile, but from a safety perspective, all-cotton is the first choice . " All-cotton " also has a way. Now there are endless names of various products: raw cotton, long-staple cotton, washed cotton, 100% cotton, 100% pure cotton... There are all kinds of names, all claiming to be cotton, but who is the fake and who is the real one?

Source: The "3.15" Gala exposed that the fabric material of some illegal products was marked as "cotton" on the packaging, but the actual material was "polyester"

The definition of pure cotton is clearly defined in the national standard GB/T29862-2013: If a fabric contains only one fiber component , then 100% or "pure" or "full" can be added before or after its name. As for non-standard labels, we should choose carefully.

Cotton is also divided into grades 1-7. The smaller the number, the higher the grade, the longer the fiber, and the stronger the fabric. Grades 1-2 are preferred. It is recommended to choose disposable underwear made of 100% cotton spunlace, which has good air permeability and is not easy to shed.

Image source: Xinhuanet

Image source: Xinhuanet

0 3 Three points to look at in sterilization process

There are two main sterilization processes for disposable underwear: ethylene oxide sterilization and high-energy electron beam sterilization . Ethylene oxide sterilization kills various microorganisms at room temperature, but there is a residual odor; high-energy electron beam sterilization uses radiation to kill microorganisms, which is thorough, without residue or odor.

The chaos of EO sterilization of disposable underwear exposed on March 15 are mainly the following: 1. False propaganda, no sterilization at all: Sterilization costs money, they just boast "ethylene oxide disinfection" on the packaging box, but they don't actually do it.

Image source: CCTV Finance

2. Fake sterilization labels: In order to prove that unsterilized disposable underwear has been sterilized with ethylene oxide, some companies put ethylene oxide sterilization chemical indicator cards with the message "from red to blue to indicate complete sterilization" during production. These indicator cards are purchased directly to deceive consumers and make them mistakenly believe that the products have been strictly sterilized.

3. Falsification of supporting test reports and sterilization videos: Unscrupulous companies not only forge sterilization labels on the packaging, but also provide customers with a whole set of fake sterilization test reports, emphasizing that these reports can be used when selling in physical stores and in e-commerce live broadcasts. They even specially make a fake product sterilization video, claiming that the product is placed in a sterilization cabinet for sterilization overnight and taken out the next morning, in order to further mislead consumers.

How to identify disposable underwear that has been truly sterilized by EO?

1. Check the product packaging : Formal disposable underwear that has been sterilized by EO usually has a clear EO sterilization mark and a related sterilization instruction card on the packaging. At the same time, pay attention to whether the product has complete manufacturer information, implementation standards, etc. If the packaging is simple and the information is incomplete, there is probably a problem.

2. Check the packaging materials : EO sterilization has a certain adaptability to packaging materials, but high-quality products generally use more suitable packaging, such as medical dialysis paper. This packaging is high-density polyethylene on one side and dialysis paper on the other side, allowing EO sterilization gas to penetrate. During its static decomposition process, it can prevent other microorganisms and bacteria from entering. If you find that the product is packaged in ordinary plastic, you should be alert, because it may not have undergone a formal EO sterilization process.

0 4Other circumvention methods

Be cautious with promotions and low-priced products

Disposable underwear that is too cheap may be a slow-selling product that the merchant is dealing with, or a low-quality product. It is difficult to guarantee that these products are not made of black cotton or other substandard materials, and they may cause harm to health after use. Therefore, do not be greedy for small profits, and try to choose products with reliable quality.

Choose a reliable sales channel

Try to buy through regular shopping malls, specialty stores or reputable e-commerce platforms. The sources of products from these channels are relatively reliable and the quality is more guaranteed. However, some small vendors or sales channels with unknown sources may have the risk of selling counterfeit and shoddy products.

Manufacturer information

Regular products should be labeled with information such as the manufacturer's name, address, contact information, etc. Products without any certification often do not have this information and should be avoided.

Author: Tadpole Jun

Reviewer: Liu Ying, Li Peiyuan

Reference sources: Science Popularization China, Xinhuanet, CCTV Finance, etc.