Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) tests were conducted on four kinds of interrelated samplesnatural undyed wool fibers (SW3, SW5), fibers dyed with model direct dyes (1W, 5W), fibers treated destructively with formic acid for descaling and dyed with the same dyes (K1W, K5W), and the dyes themselves (1%). For all samples, a radical signal of g = 2.007 was detected. The presence of Mn2+ and Fe3+ ions in the wool fiber structure was postulated. Modifications of disulfide regions of fiber matrix were also analyzed. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.