Items for children in this year's rainy season sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms have been found to contain toxic substances far exceeding safety levels permitted in South Korea, the Seoul city government announced Friday.
In the latest safety inspection conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on 35 umbrellas, raincoats, rain boots and other low-priced children’s products from AliExpress and Temu, 11 were found to have contained hazardous materials at levels higher than the country’s legal standards.
The municipal government also said it had requested that AliExpress and Temu halt sales of these products based on the findings and urged that people be cautious when purchasing such children’s items through overseas shopping sites.
One type of umbrella being sold on AliExpress contained a phthalate plasticizer that exceeded standards by 443.5-fold.
Phthalates are commonly used to increase the flexibility and longevity of plastics. But they are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can affect the body’s reproductive function and increase the risk of some forms of cancer.
While three umbrellas from Temu and one umbrella from AliExpress were ruled unsuitable for their high phthalate levels, another AliExpress umbrella was also found to contain lead to levels 27.6 times the maximum level allowed.
Lead exposure beyond safe levels can also negatively affect reproductive health and brain development of unborn children.
The city government additionally detected formaldehyde that was 32.6 times standards in a raincoat sold on AliExpress.
Formaldehyde is a chemical with a strong odor that is used in adhesives, fabrics and building materials. It can cause headaches, dyspnea or cancer in people at high levels of exposure.
Meanwhile, the inspection result suggested that more of the items inspected failed to meet physical safety standards.
All eight umbrellas tested by the city government as having hazardous sharp edges that could pose risks of cuts or severe puncture injuries to children. The umbrellas were ruled unsuitable as they had insufficient strength in the handles and umbrella tips as well, which were found to be noncompliant with national safety regulations.
Three of the eight inspected raincoats also failed to meet such physical safety standards. These products featured decorative cords on the hoods and drawstrings that are prohibited, according to the city government in its latest press release, explaining that such failure to meet physical safety standards has been found to pose potential risks of accidents such as an entanglement injury or snagging when worn by children.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will continue safety inspections in July, focusing on children’s summer products including pool toys, swimsuits and swim caps.
sj_lee@heraldcorp.com
