Heavy metals, up to 278 times the standard limit, were detected in children’s accessories sold on Chinese online shopping platforms.
On the 23rd, Seoul officials announced that heavy metals (lead, chromium, and nickel) were found in two out of seven children’s accessories, including watches, sold on Shein and AliExpress, following their safety inspections.
In a children’s watch sold on Shein, lead was detected at 278 times the standard limit in the crown part. In the metal part on the back of the watch, chromium was found to be 3.4 times, and nickel was 4.4 times the standard limit.
In the metal part of a pendant on a children’s necklace sold on AliExpress, lead was found to be 1.2 times the standard limit.
Exposure to lead beyond the safety standards can harm reproductive functions and increase the risk of cancer. It can also affect fetal brain development during pregnancy and can cause learning and behavioral problems in children.
Chromium has strong toxicity and can cause dermatitis when exposed acutely or chronically. It also has respiratory toxicity, which can cause dizziness and headaches. Nickel can trigger allergic reactions, itching, and rashes.
The city plans to expand the inspection targets to foreign platforms with many domestic users, in addition to the so-called “Altesh” (AliExpress, Temu, Shein) Chinese online platforms. Next month, it will conduct safety inspections on products closely related to daily life, including children’s products (shoes, bags), food containers (pots, lunch boxes), and sanitary products (disposable cups, paper napkins).
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