Children’s watches have been found to have lead levels 278 times higher than the standard… Seoul city says, “There are no measures to prevent recurrence.”

A children’s watch that exceeds the standard lead content by 278 times, sold on the Chinese online fast fashion platform ‘Shiin’. [Photo Seoul City]

, ‘ Hazardous substances exceeding the standard were detected in children’s jewelry being sold on the Chinese overseas direct purchase (direct procurement) platforms AliExpress and Shiin. Seoul City announced the results of safety inspections of products from overseas online platforms in the fourth week of May on the 23rd. ‘,

Seoul City Conducts Safety Inspections on Children’s Jewelry

An area of children’s necklace sold on AliExpress that received an unfit result in safety inspections. [Photo Seoul City]

, ‘ The inspection targeted seven children’s jewelry items, including necklaces, watches, and hairpins sold on Shiin and AliExpress. The city investigated the presence of harmful chemicals and durability (mechanical and physical characteristics) of the products. ‘,

, ‘ As a result of the investigation, heavy metals exceeding the standard were found in two types of children’s jewelry that come into direct contact with the body. The children’s watch sold on the Chinese online fast fashion platform ‘Shiin’ had lead content in the buckle part of the strap that was 278 times higher than the standard. Additionally, the metal parts on the back of the watch exceeded the standard for chromium by 3.43 times and for nickel by 4.4 times during the release test. ‘,

, ‘ In children’s necklaces sold on AliExpress, lead was detected at 1.17 times higher than the standard in the pendant metal parts. A city official stated, “It has been confirmed that AliExpress, which has been selling products containing harmful chemicals above the standard, is now also selling products that are unsafe for the first time on the fashion-focused Chinese online fast fashion platform Shiin.” ‘,

, ‘ Lead detected in children’s jewelry can cause harm to reproductive functions when exposed beyond safety standards and can increase the risk of cancer. Especially during pregnancy, it can affect brain development and cause problems in a child’s learning and behavior. ‘,

, ‘ Chromium is also a highly toxic substance. Acute and chronic exposure can induce dermatitis. It can also pose respiratory toxicity and may cause symptoms like dizziness and headaches according to the explanation by the Seoul city. Nickel can trigger allergic reactions in the body, leading to itching, rashes, and may result in respiratory toxicity with prolonged exposure, as explained by the city. ‘,

A necklace where lead was detected 1.17 times higher than the standard. Sold on AliExpress. [Photo Seoul City]

2 out of 7 items found to be unacceptable… Exceeding the limit for heavy metals

An area with a large amount of heavy metals detected in the children’s watch. [Photo Seoul City]

, ‘ Seoul City takes action to suspend sales and shares the investigation results with platform companies such as AliExpress and Tmall when harmful products are found in Chinese direct purchases that may be harmful to human health. In addition, if consumers who purchased these products file complaints, the platforms guide them to get a refund. ‘,

, ‘ A city official mentioned, “Most of the complaints that consumers have filed through organizations like the Korea Consumer Agency have been addressed by the platform companies providing refunds to the consumers.” ‘,

, ‘ However, there are no specific measures for consumers who have unknowingly purchased and are using harmful products. A city official stated, “For consumers who have not filed complaints (using harmful products), no separate measures are being taken.” ‘,

, ‘ Suggestions have been made to take measures to prevent incidents like this from recurring. In response, a city official said, “There is nothing further to comment on regarding measures to prevent a recurrence at this time.” ‘,

, ‘ Seoul City is expanding the inspection targets to other overseas platforms with a large number of domestic users, not just AliExpress and Tmall, for more intensive safety inspections. Safety inspection results can be checked at any time on the website of Seoul City and the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center. ‘,

, ‘ Furthermore, in the last week of May, Seoul City plans to inspect children’s leather products (shoes, bags, etc.), and in June, the inspection targets will be expanded to include food containers closely related to daily life (pots, lunch boxes, etc.) and hygiene products (disposable cups, paper napkins, etc.). ‘,
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