Of 16 school supplies sold on overseas online platforms such as Temu, Shein, and AliExpress, harmful substances exceeding domestic standards were detected in seven products. All seven products were sold on AliExpress.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 27th that the safety inspection results of school supplies conducted ahead of the new school year revealed this.
The city selected 16 school supplies that were widely sold on the investigated platforms to test for harmful substances. Of the tested supplies, seven exceeded the standard limits. Specifically, harmful substances such as lead, cadmium, and phthalate plasticizers were found to be above domestic standards.
Lead and phthalate plasticizers can harm reproductive functions, causing reduced sperm count, infertility, and preterm births if exposure exceeds safety standards. Cadmium can cause abnormalities in bones and problems in the respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems. All of these substances are also carcinogens that can increase cancer risks.
In products consisting of notebook and pen sets, all tested harmful substances were found to exceed domestic standards. Lead was detected at 231 times the domestic standard in pen refills, and cadmium was 5.6 times and phthalate plasticizers 92.2 times above the limit in notebook covers.
In pencil sets (containing pencils, sharpeners, and erasers), phthalate plasticizers were detected at 28.4 times the domestic standard in the pencil film area. In this product and another "flexible pencil," phthalate plasticizers were detected up to 111.5 times in the plastic area and 5.2 times in the eraser attached to the pencil tip.
Additionally, harmful substances were detected in colored pencils, paint sets, leather pencil cases, and xylophones.
The city requested AliExpress, the platform where the identified products with excessive harmful substances were sold, to halt the sales of these items.
A city official noted, "We plan to conduct safety inspections of household items, including children's textile products for spring in March, as well as sneakers and sunglasses that tempt consumers with low prices."