South Korea finds excessive levels of toxins in kids’ clothing sold on some Chinese e-commerce sites

SEOUL - Toxic substances up to 622 times Korea’s permitted levels were found in children’s winter clothing sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Nov 22.

In the latest safety inspection conducted by the city government on 26 items of winter clothing for children and infants from Temu, Shein and AliExpress, toxic chemicals were found on seven products.

One children’s jacket sold on Temu contained phthalate plasticizers - toxic chemicals that can disrupt endocrine functions and reproductive health - at levels nearly 622 times higher than the legal limit in South Korea.

The length of the jacket’s decorative loops also raised safety concerns. At 11.2cm, they were longer than the allowable 7.5cm.

Another children’s jumpsuit sold on Temu detected phthalate plasticizers at levels 294 times above the legal limit. The garment’s pH levels came to 7.8, outside the permitted range of 4.0 to 7.5.

A pair of children’s shoes sold on AliExpress was found to contain lead levels five times the permitted level.

On the same platform, an infant onesie contained 3.5 times the allowable level of phthalate plasticizers, while overalls with lead at 19.12 times the legal limit were also sold there.

The city government said it planned to conduct safety tests on overseas platforms with high numbers of users in South Korea, focusing on products with high seasonal demand.

In December, it plans to inspect Christmas decorations and children’s toys. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK