Harmful substances exceeding safety standards were found in children's toys such as boomerangs, dolls, and mini-cars, as well as in children's sofas and chairs.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 17th the results of safety investigations on 63 items, including water play equipment, summer clothing and footwear, and umbrellas and parasols, covering 1,082 products that are in high demand during the summer.
The National Institute of Technology and Standards issued recall orders for 53 products that did not meet safety standards. Among these, there were 30 children's products, 13 household items, and 10 electrical products.
Among the children's products, there were six toys exceeding the standards for harmful substances like lead and phthalate-based plasticizers, five pieces of children's furniture, three children's textile products, two children's umbrellas and parasols, and four kickboards for children that did not meet drop strength standards.
The Epihime children's chair was found to exceed the total lead standard by 23 times, potentially causing dermatitis, keratitis, and central nervous system disorders. Phthalates exceeding the standard by 70 times were detected in the caster of the Persper children's chair. Alton Sports bicycles also had phthalate-based plasticizers exceeding 83 times the standard, raising concerns about liver and kidney damage.
As for household items, four car safety helmets were recalled for inadequate impact absorption, three masks were found to contain harmful substances, one sports life jacket was found to be inadequate in buoyancy, and one water play equipment was recalled for inadequate auxiliary air chambers.
In the electrical products category, five plugs and outlets were retrieved due to fire risks from inadequate temperature rise, and one battery for a portable fan was recalled for fire risks due to overcharging.
To block the distribution of the 53 products subject to recall, the National Institute of Technology and Standards has made product information available through the Product Safety Information Center and Consumer24, and has registered them in the 'Hazardous Product Sales Blocking System' linked with over 260,000 distribution stores and online shopping malls nationwide.
Kim Dae-ja, head of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, noted, "To have a safe summer, please be sure to check for the KC mark when purchasing summer products," and added, "The National Institute will thoroughly check whether businesses are recalling products to ensure that recalled products are not distributed in the market and will continue to carry out safety investigations."