Untrustworthy Chinese Products... "53% of Children's Products Sold on Ali and Temu Fail Safety Standards"

'Children's Hair Ties' Sold on Chinese Online Platform Detected with Lead Content 304.3 Times Above Standard Limit

Gyeonggi Province conducted safety inspections on children's products sold on Chinese online platforms such as Ali and Temu, revealing that nearly half of the products failed to meet domestic safety standards. In particular, phthalate plasticizers, which disrupt hormonal balance, were detected at 375.9 times the standard limit in children's hats.

Gyeonggi Province carried out safety inspections on a total of 70 children's products across five categories?infant and children's textile products, sports protective gear, general toys, stuffed dolls, and accessories?sold on Chinese online shopping platforms Ali and Temu.

The inspection covered all items related to hazardous substances and physical safety requirements for each category under the "Special Act on Safety of Children's Products," and was conducted by the Korea Testing Certification (KTC), a nationally accredited testing institute.

The results showed that 37 products, accounting for 53%, failed to meet domestic safety standards.

By category, hazardous substances exceeding allowable limits or products failing to perform their protective functions against physical impact were identified as follows: 11 out of 15 textile products (73%), all 10 sports protective gear items (100%), 7 out of 15 general toys (47%), 3 out of 15 stuffed dolls (20%), and 6 out of 15 accessories (40%).

For textile products, phthalate plasticizer content exceeded domestic standards by 6.1 to 375.9 times in the logo area of hats and the plastic parts under the zipper of girls' coats. Additionally, total lead content exceeded domestic standards (100 mg/kg or less) by 1.2 to 5.4 times in the logo area and plastic black stoppers of hat strings, as well as metal buttons on girls' coats.

Phthalate plasticizers are used to enhance the flexibility of products such as plastics but can disrupt hormonal balance by affecting the endocrine system and may cause liver and kidney damage. Lead can cause dermatitis, keratitis, and central nervous system disorders, and its use in children's products is strictly restricted.

In particular, the waist tie belt length of children's dresses exceeded safety standards, and the waist tightening cords of swimsuits and soccer uniforms were not secured with bar tacks, failing the physical test item "cords and tightening strings." Products failing the "cords and tightening strings" standard pose risks such as entanglement in playground equipment, falls, constriction of the waist, abrasions, and lacerations when worn by children.

Sports protective gear inspection results showed inadequate shock absorption in knee, elbow, and wrist guards (9 items), insufficient shock absorption in helmets (2 items), and destruction or cracking of guards during impact strength tests (5 items).

Phthalate plasticizers were detected at up to 260.9 times the limit in areas such as the artificial leather coating of wrist guards. All 10 inspected products lacked protective functions and failed to absorb shocks upon impact.

Among toy products, the speaker of a toy piano emitted sound exceeding the domestic standard (85 dB), measuring 88 dB. Additionally, five products failed to meet the "battery compartment requirements" to prevent children from easily opening them and the "small parts safety standards" to prevent choking hazards.

For stuffed dolls, phthalate plasticizers were detected at up to 281.7 times the limit in plastic parts such as the soft plastic transparent suction plate of an elephant doll and the plastic eyes of dolls.

Among accessories, hair ties showed total lead content exceeding the limit by 304.3 times, and adjustment pins on wristwatches exceeded total lead content by 191.3 times. Furthermore, total cadmium content exceeded limits by up to 2.2 times in metal earring pins and vinyl snap pins.

Cadmium can cause kidney and respiratory system side effects and reduce children's learning abilities, while nickel can cause swelling, rashes, and itching when in contact with the skin.

Lee Moon-gyo, Director of the Fair Economy Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We plan to request platform operators to stop sales of products that failed to meet domestic safety standards as confirmed by this inspection." He added, "Since the risk of hazardous substances has a significant impact on children, when purchasing children's products through overseas direct purchase, please refer to inspection results of overseas direct purchase products and overseas recall information from central government agencies and Gyeonggi Province."

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