"Bought Because It Was Cheap"… Harmful Substances Found in Children's Winter Clothes Sold at 'Al·Te·Sh'

Seoul Safety Inspection... 7 Out of 26 Items 'Non-Compliant'
Jacket Exceeds Harmful Substance Standards by 622 Times

Harmful substances exceeding domestic standards by as much as 622 times were found in children's winter clothing sold on Chinese online platforms such as AliExpress, Temu, and Shein.

On the 22nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the results of safety inspections conducted on children's and infants' winter textile products sold on these online platforms. Among the 26 products surveyed, 7 were found to be non-compliant. In particular, one type of children's jacket sold on Temu contained phthalate plasticizers exceeding domestic standards by 622 times. Phthalate plasticizers are endocrine-disrupting substances that affect reproductive functions and can cause irritation to the eyes and skin upon contact. The jacket's loop decoration also exceeded the domestic standard length (7.5 cm), resulting in a non-compliance judgment due to safety concerns.

Overseas online platform children's products judged unsafe. Photo by Yonhap News

Additionally, one type of children's jumpsuit was found to contain phthalate plasticizers about 294 times above the domestic standard. The pH level of this product was 7.8, exceeding the domestic standard range (pH 4.0?7.5). When the pH of textile products exceeds the standard, it can cause skin irritation and allergic contact dermatitis. Furthermore, one type of children's shoes sold on AliExpress contained lead, a heavy metal, at about 5 times the domestic standard. One infant jumpsuit showed phthalate plasticizers exceeding the standard by 3.5 times, and one pair of overalls contained lead exceeding the domestic standard by up to 19.12 times. Lead is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 2B possible human carcinogen, and long-term exposure to small amounts can cause systemic toxicity such as neurodevelopmental toxicity and hypertension.

There were also several cases where the length of decorative strings was problematic. The length of decorative strings on infant dresses and infant shawls exceeded domestic standards, raising safety concerns. The infant shawl was also judged non-compliant because it had three-dimensional decorations attached to the ends of the strings. The use of three-dimensional decorations is prohibited on children's products in Korea.

Earlier, on the 8th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government revealed that among 176 products sold on the same online platforms, 15 products?including 8 accessories and 7 cosmetics?contained harmful substances greatly exceeding domestic standards. In particular, bracelets contained lead levels exceeding domestic standards by up to 900 times. The inspected products included 8 hygiene products, 87 cosmetics, 51 food containers, and 30 accessories.

In earrings, cadmium (Cd) was detected at 47.4%, exceeding the domestic standard (less than 0.1%) by up to 474 times, and necklaces contained nickel (Ni) exceeding the domestic standard (0.5 μg/cm²/week or less) by up to 3.8 times. Regarding cosmetics, two highlighters purchased from AliExpress contained phthalates (DEHP) exceeding the domestic standard (100 μg/g) by up to 14.9 times, and three types of lip balms contained cadmium exceeding the domestic standard (5 μg/g) by 11.4 times. Cadmium is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), under the World Health Organization (WHO), as a Group 1 human carcinogen and typically accumulates in the body through respiratory and digestive tracts.

Going forward, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to continue safety inspections targeting overseas platforms with a large number of domestic users, considering seasonal purchasing demands. Next month, safety inspections will be conducted on decorations and children's toys, which see increased demand during Christmas. Safety inspection results can be checked on the Seoul Metropolitan Government website (seoul.go.kr) or the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center website (ecc.seoul.go.kr).