Toxic substances in Shein children’s shoes exceeded the permissible limit by 428 times

On May 28, children’s leather products sold by Shein were exhibited and found to contain toxic substances in a safety test conducted by the Seoul city government. Yonhap

The latest safety inspection by the Seoul city government found toxic substances at levels up to 428 times permitted in children’s products sold by Chinese e-commerce platform Shein, officials said on Tuesday.

The city has been publishing such information weekly since last month amid growing concerns about the safety of products from Chinese e-commerce giants, which have quickly become major players in South Korea’s online shopping market.

Of the eight Shein children’s leather products the city conducted its most recent safety inspection on, seven products were found to contain toxic substances.

Of the four leather bags checked, one contained formaldehyde at 1.2 times the permitted level, while the others contained phthalate plasticizers at up to 153 times the permitted level.

Of the two pairs of children’s shoes, one contained formaldehyde exceeding the permissible level by 1.8 times, while the other contained phthalate plasticizers exceeding the permissible level by 428 times.

One leather strap was also found to contain 1.78 times more lead than allowed.

Since early April, the city has conducted such safety tests on products of Chinese e-commerce giants such as AliExpress and Temu seven times. Of the 93 products tested so far, about 40, or 43 percent of the total, contained toxic substances.

The city also asked Chinese e-commerce platforms to stop sales of the products in question and restrict access to them.

Phthalate plasticizers are endocrine disrupting chemicals that can affect human reproductive function. (Yonhap)