In China, formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are not included in the routine testing procedures for imported products.

Johnson & Johnson said it would cooperate with local food and drag administration if it decides tests are needed, Tao said.

While Shanghai stores continued to sell the baby care goods, a recent public opinion survey showed parents are becoming increasingly concerned.

Parents, already on high alert after melamine-tainted milk was blamed for the deaths of six infants and illnesses affecting nearly 300,000 others, may be taking action on their own. In an online survey by Sina.com, nearly 60 percent of respondents said they won't buy the products.

A local medical expert said there is no clinical evidence connecting children's skin diseases or other problems with products containing trace amounts of formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane. But he did add a cautionary note.

"The skin of infants and children is sensitive and prone to allergies," Dr Wu Jian of the Shanghai Children's Medical Center's department of dermatology said yesterday.

"Parents should use quality products and not put too much shampoo on children and not use shampoo every day while bathing infants," Wu said.

Source-Medindia
GPL/L