Authorities of South Korea alert to consumers by discovery of toxic substances in products of Shein, AliExpress and Temu.
Shein, like Aliexpress or Temu, are e-commerce platforms that have gained great popularity in recent years for offering clothing and accessories at low prices. However, they have had problems with product safety and scams, either because they do not fulfill what they promise or the quality of their items is “bad”.
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The latest developments have led to increased scrutiny of their business practices and safety standards, both in the European Union and in South Korea, where Seoul officials have conducted weekly inspections of items sold by online platforms.
In a report prepared by the Seoul Metropolitan Institute of Health and Environment from July 12 to July 9, which was published on June 14 in local media in the city, 144 products were analyzed, including 94 food containers, 13 cosmetics, 28 sandals and hats, and 9 sanitary products sold at these three online centers. It was found that not all of them complied with legal standards.
According to the analysis, 11 products were found to contain alarming levels of various toxic substances.
Shein platform shoes were found to contain significantly high levels of phthalates — a chemical used to make plastics more flexible — with one pair of shoes exceeding the legal limit by 229 times. This ingredient is an endocrine disruptor that affects reproductive functions, such as decreased sperm count and infertility, and is classified as a carcinogen.
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While some sandals and aluminum dishes contained two to nine times the standard value of nickel, which can cause allergic contact dermatitis, hats contained more than twice the standard value of formaldehyde, a carcinogen.
On the other hand, dioxane up to 3.6 times the standard value and methanol up to 1.4 times the standard value were detected in two nail polishes.
In response, Seoul authorities plan to ask overseas mail-order sites to stop selling 11 products that do not meet domestic standards.
CSAS
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2024-08-16 01:56:23