Children's goods sold by Shein found to contain excessive toxic substances

Toxic substances up to 428 times permitted levels were found in children's items sold by Chinese e-commerce Shein to a Seoul resident in the latest safety inspection conducted by the Seoul city government, officials said Tuesday.

Children's leather products sold by Shein found to contain toxic substances in a safety test conducted by the Seoul city government are displayed on May 28. [YONHAP]

Toxic substances up to 428 times permitted levels were found in children's items sold by Chinese e-commerce Shein to a Seoul resident in the latest safety inspection conducted by the Seoul city government, officials said Tuesday.

Since last month, the city has been releasing such information every week amid growing safety concerns involving products from Chinese online retail giants that have rapidly become leading players in South Korea's online shopping market.

Seven of the eight children's leather products from Shein on which the city conducted its latest safety inspection contained toxic substances.

Of the four leather bags inspected, one contained formaldehyde at 1.2 times the permitted level, while the rest contained phthalate plasticizers at up to 153 times the allowed levels.

Of the two pairs of children's shoes, one had formaldehyde exceeding the permissible level by 1.8 times, while the other contained phthalate plasticizers at more than 428 times the permitted limit.

One leather belt was also found to contain 1.78 times more lead than permitted.

Since early April, the city has conducted such safety tests on products from Chinese e-commerce giants like AliExpress and Temu on seven occasions. Of the 93 products vetted so far, about 40, or 43 percent, were found to contain toxic substances.

The city has also asked Chinese e-commerce platforms to halt the sale of the products and limit the public's access to them.

Phthalate plasticizers are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that could affect humans' reproductive function.

BY PARK EUN-JEE, YONHAP [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]