Hazardous substances that exceed the domestic standard were detected in children's jeans sold on overseas direct purchase platforms. According to the results of the inspection of 41 overseas direct purchase children's textile products and toys released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 28th, 10 of them were found to be inappropriate.
The survey was conducted on products sold at Temu, Shein, and AliExpress. As a result of examining the detection and durability of hazardous chemicals, five of the 10 children's textile products exceeded the hazardous substance standards or did not meet the physical safety standards.
Girls' jeans were detected in rubber buttons as phthalate plasticizers exceeded the domestic standard by 157.4 times. In the pocket of boys' jeans, formaldehyde exceeded the standard by 1.2 times.
Phthalate plasticizers are substances that can cause endocrine disruptions. It is known to affect reproductive functions such as decreased sperm count, infertility, and premature birth.
There were girls' skirts that were too long and the finish was not properly handled, and there were also children's knits with three-dimensional ornaments prohibited from domestic children's clothing.
In baby textile products, excess harmful substances such as lead and cadmium were also detected. In brooches attached to infant blouses, lead exceeded the threshold by 1.7 times and cadmium exceeded the threshold by 1.8 times. Lead can harm reproductive function and increase cancer risk when exposed above safety standards.
In the case of brooches, another problem was that they were made sharply and could harm children's safety. In automobile toys, lead was detected 57.7 times more than the standard on the white soft wire inside.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has requested the platform to stop selling products that have been deemed unfit. Next month, it plans to conduct safety checks on toys that are expected to increase in demand ahead of Children's Day.
