Children's hats and scarves sold on the Chinese online platform AliExpress were found to exceed Korea's hazardous substance limit by 203 times. In addition, a total of four children's clothing and accessory products sold on Temu and Shein contained hazardous substances above the limits or failed to pass safety standards.
The Seoul city government said on the 27th that it conducted safety tests on a total of 24 products—children's winter clothing and accessories and toys—sold on overseas online platforms for the winter season and found eight products that did not meet Korea's safety standards.
The inspection covered 15 children's winter clothing and accessory products sold on AliExpress, Temu, and Shein, and nine ultra-low-priced children's products.
Phthalate plasticizers and lead were detected in two children's clothing and accessory products. The leather ornament on a three-piece winter set of hat, scarf, and gloves showed phthalate plasticizers exceeding the limit (a total of seven types including DEHP at 0.1% or less) by 203 times. A winter top-and-bottom set had lead in the zipper up to 4.5 times above the limit (100 mg/kg or less).
Phthalate plasticizers are substances that can cause endocrine disruption. Contact can also irritate the eyes and skin. Among them, DEHP (diethylhexyl phthalate) is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). Lead, when exposure exceeds safety standards, can harm reproductive function and increase the risk of cancer.
Three children's clothing products failed to meet physical safety standards. One jumper had a decorative cord at the neck, which is banned in infant clothing. A vest had a loop circumference for fastening the garment longer than the limit (7.5 cm), posing risks of choking and snagging. Another jumper failed the zipper attachment strength test.
Some children's toys and other products also contained hazardous substances or failed to meet physical safety standards. A sticker had phthalate plasticizers up to 58 times the limit in the fabric and adhesive layers, lead at 1.7 times the limit, and cadmium up to 12 times the limit (75 mg/kg or less). Cadmium is a carcinogenic substance that can cause bone abnormalities or accumulate in the liver and kidneys, potentially affecting the respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems.
In the case of a hair comb, the ball tips at the ends of the teeth had phthalate plasticizers up to 3.5 times the limit. A magic water book had sharp ends on the spring, posing a risk of injury.
Based on the inspection results, the Seoul city government asked the respective online platforms to stop sales of the noncompliant products.
Meanwhile, the safety inspection results can be found on the websites of the Seoul city government and the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center.