The unknown liquid found in the Chinese bras that has turned into a headache for local consumers over the last two weeks is in fact mineral oil, initial tests from quality centers have determined, while producing varied information about the toxicity of the chemical. Chinese bras have recently been boycotted in Vietnam after several sets of products were found containing two packs of liquid and round, solid white balls said to be a kind of drug. But tests conducted by the Quality Assurance and Testing Center 2 (Quatest 2) have identified that the packs are made of polysterene, and the liquid is in fact a kind of mineral oil, said Nguyen Uy, deputy head of the Da Nang Department of Health, citing results from the center. Mineral oil is a colorless, odorless, light mixture of alkanes in the C15 to C40 range from a non-vegetable (mineral) source, particularly a distillate of petroleum. The Quatest 2 also received samples from Quang Nam Province, and produced similar results. But it also identified that the solid balls inside the lingerie are in fact also made of polysterene, rather than being mistaken as a kind of pill.

A pack of mineral oil and three balls of polysterene is seen after being removed from a piece of Chinese bras. Tuoi Tre

In the southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City, the Center of Analytical Services and Experimentation (CASE) reached the same results. Nguyen Quoc Hung from the CASE said mineral oil is commonly used in certain anti-dry skin cream products, while polysterene is also used to manufacture common plastic household products. The Da Nang health department said they have to wait for a conclusion from the Ministry of Health on whether or not the mineral oil found in Chinese bras are harmful and permitted for use in Vietnam.Harmful or not? The Chemistry Institute under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, however, has made a stunning discovery about the oil in question. “There is a toxic chemical in the mineral oil found in the Chinese bras that can cause cancer and endocrine disorders,” Doctor Vu Duc Loi, head of the Chemical Analysis Department, told Tien Phong newspaper. Some researches show that the mineral oil can create a thin waterproof layer in consumers’ livers and affect their excretion of toxins. It can also cause some types of pneumonia, the doctor said. “But the most harmful chemical in the liquid is not the mineral oil, but the polycyclic aromantic hydrocarbon (PAH),” the newspaper quoted Loi as saying. The PAH produces a blue luminescence under ultraviolet beams, and “it does not only itch consumers, but can also cause cancer and endocrine disorders,” he asserted.

The pack of mineral oil is seen with a blue luminescene under ultraviolet beams. Tien Phong

Loi also appeared cautious by saying that the discovery was made only on the samples his institution received. Consumers should remain calm and continue to wait for the results on a larger scale, he said. “The questions on why PAH is used in the bras, and whether its amount is toxic enough to harm consumers, cannot be answered merely by the tests conducted by Vietnam, but we have to cooperate with the Chinese side,” he concluded.