Daily Exposure to Carcinogens... Ali and Temu Low-Cost Accessories Exceed Safety Limits by 700 Times

Carcinogenic substances exceeding the standard by up to 700 times were detected in ultra-low-priced jewelry products sold on Chinese overseas direct purchase platforms. Customs authorities plan to request the platforms to stop selling these products while strengthening customs clearance management and supervision.

On the 8th, Incheon Customs of the Korea Customs Service announced that, after analyzing the components of 404 ultra-low-priced jewelry items such as earrings and rings sold on Chinese overseas direct purchase platforms like AliExpress and Temu, carcinogenic substances such as cadmium and lead exceeding domestic safety standards were detected in 96 products.

The jewelry with excessive carcinogenic substances were ultra-low-priced products ranging from 600 KRW to 4,000 KRW including shipping fees. Component analysis revealed cadmium and lead levels 10 to 700 times higher than domestic safety standards. In Korea (Ministry of Environment notification), mixtures containing more than 0.1% cadmium or 0.006% lead are prohibited from use as metal jewelry.

The jewelry exceeding safety standards mainly included earrings (47 items, 37%), rings (23 items, 32%), and anklets (8 items, 20%). By platform, carcinogenic substances exceeding the standards were detected in 48 out of 180 items (27%) on AliExpress and 48 out of 224 items (20%) on Temu.

Carcinogenic substances exceeding the standard levels were detected in jewelry products sold on Chinese overseas direct purchase platforms such as Ali and Temu. Customs authorities have taken measures, including requesting the platforms to stop selling these products. Provided by the Korea Customs Service

The cadmium and lead detected in large quantities in the products are classified as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Cadmium is a heavy metal that caused the ‘Itai-itai disease’ in Japan and is known to cause respiratory, renal, and digestive system diseases upon poisoning. Lead poisoning can cause diseases of the renal, central nervous, digestive, and reproductive systems.

Incheon Customs plans to strengthen customs clearance management and supervision of products containing harmful substances in consultation with related ministries to prevent consumer damage and will request the platforms to stop selling the problematic products.

Additionally, detailed information on the 96 products containing cadmium and lead has been posted on the Incheon Customs website for public reference.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.