(File Photo: Yangcheng Evening News)

A batch of men’s woven shirts imported from Bangladesh, valued at $97,300, were returned under the supervision of the Tianjin Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, as the pH of the fabric tested at 9.3, outside China's pH standard of 4.0-8.5 for products that have direct contact with skin, Cnr.cn reported on April 22.

The pH value of textiles remains an important index for substances that could potentially pose a threat to human safety and health. The pH of human skin is generally between 5.5 and 7.0, which protects the human body from bacterial infection. A pH that is either too high or too low can hurt skin and cause allergies or infections.