Toxic substances found in AliExpress, Shein children's products

The Seoul Metropolitan Government found toxic substances in two children's accessories sold by Chinese platforms AliExpress and Shein.

A children's headband and watch were found to contain harmful substances including phthalate plasticizer. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Two children’s accessories sold through Chinese e-commerce platforms AliExpress and Shein contained concentrations of toxic substances 270 times above the permitted level, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday.

According to the city government, children's accessories including a headband and a watch were contaminated with phthalate-based plasticizers, which are known to disrupt human reproductive system by raising the risk of infertility and premature birth or reducing the sperm count of those exposed.

Last month, the city government began cracking down on what it deemed “unsafe” products sold by Chinese e-commerce giants AliExpress, Temu and Shein amid surging cross-border purchases.

The city government revealed that half of 22 products it had tested for hazardous chemicals or materials were “unsuitable” for use.

Of 16 tested shoe charms for children's Crocs, seven were found to contain phthalate plasticizer, a substance used to make plastic more flexible, at levels up to 348 times greater than the national safety standard.

Car sunshades sourced from Temu or AliExpress contained amounts of plasticizer 324 times higher than the safety standard and were also identified as a choking hazard.

The government will continue to investigate on accessories and leather items tailored to children.

BY CHOI HAE-JIN [choi.haejin@joongang.co.kr]