The South Korean Customs Service (Customs) announced on Tuesday (April 30) that after inspecting 252 ultra-low-priced children’s products from Chinese cross-border e-commerce sales, they discovered that 38 products contained carcinogenic substances, accounting for 15%. Some products contained a type of carcinogenic substance, “cadmium,” with levels exceeding the limit by over 3000 times.
According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on April 30, the average selling price of these tested products was 3468 Korean Won (about 18 Chinese Yuan), falling under the category of “haetao” products that can be purchased directly without the formal import declaration requirements. Among the 38 products containing carcinogenic substances, 27 were found to contain “phthalate esters plasticizers,” exceeding the limit by up to 82 times; 6 products were found to contain cadmium, exceeding the limit by up to 3026 times; 5 products were found to have lead levels exceeding the limit by 270 times.
The report also mentioned that the products containing “phthalate esters plasticizers” mainly included shoes, stationery, and toys, while those containing cadmium and lead mainly included rings and bracelets.
The above investigation results only cover harmful substances such as phthalates and heavy metals that Incheon Customs can analyze.
Additionally, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency on April 25, some items such as children’s shoes and accessories sold by Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms like AliExpress and Temu were also found to have significantly excessive levels of harmful substances.
As per the report, among 16 shoe accessories used for decorating children’s slippers and sports shoes, 7 were found to have “phthalate esters plasticizers” (DEHP, DBP) exceeding the limit by 348 times, with some products also containing lead levels exceeding the limit by 33 times. For some children’s car sunshades, the phthalate esters plasticizers were found to exceed the limit by about 324 times, with some products also having excessive lead levels.
“Phthalate esters” plasticizers have adverse effects on reproductive health, especially DEHP (diethylhexyl phthalate), recognized as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Excessive lead content not only harms reproductive functions but also increases the risk of cancer.
Seoul City announced consumer protection measures for overseas cross-border e-commerce platforms on April 8, deciding to conduct safety checks on best-selling products every week and release the test results on the same day.
Chinese cross-border e-commerce swiftly expands overseas through ultra-low-priced products, tempting overseas consumers troubled by high prices. However, as discovered by South Korean Customs, the substances threatening health contained in these cheap Chinese products have raised alarms.
Data from South Korean Customs shows that from November 6 to December 1 last year, within a four-week period, they seized 142,930 counterfeit items, where about 90% of the counterfeits came from mainland China and Hong Kong. Counterfeit products from Vietnam accounted for 10%.
Further analysis revealed that counterfeit manufacturers, to reduce costs, not only simply used cadmium in surface treatments but also as the main component in the manufacturing process along with lead. Among the 20 earrings found to contain cadmium, 15 were discovered to exceed the limit by 600 times, with some products having cadmium levels exceeding by as much as 930 times.