SEOUL, Toxic substances up to 428 times the permitted levels were found in children’s products sold by Shein, a Chinese e-commerce platform, in the latest safety inspection conducted by the Seoul city government, officials said Tuesday.
Since last month, the city has been releasing such information on a weekly basis amid growing safety concerns involving products from Chinese online retail giants that have rapidly become main players in South Korea’s online shopping market.
Of the eight children’s leather products from Shein on which the city conducted its latest safety inspection, toxic substances were found in seven products.
Out of the four leather bags inspected, one contained formaldehyde at 1.2 times the permitted level, while the rest contained phthalate plasticizers at up to 153 times the allowed levels.
Of the two pairs of children’s shoes, one had formaldehyde exceeding the permissible level by 1.8 times, while the other contained phthalate plasticizers exceeding the permitted limit by 428 times
.
One leather belt was also found to contain 1.78 times more lead than permitted.
Since early April, the city has conducted such safety tests on products from Chinese e-commerce giants like AliExpress and Temu on seven occasions. Of the 93 products vetted so far, about 40 products, or 43 percent of the total, were found to contain toxic substances.
The city has also requested Chinese e-commerce platforms halt the sale of the products in question and limit the public’s access to them.
Phthalate plasticizers are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that could affect humans’ reproductive function.
Source: Yonhap News Agency