Seoul, Apr 30, 2024, IANS

Seoul, April 30 (IANS) High levels of chemicals known to cause cancer have been found in 38 products for kids available on the Chinese shopping apps of AliExpress and Temu for South Korean customers, the customs agency said on Tuesday.

The Korea Customs Service (KCS) announced the result after analysing 252 products for children selling on the two Chinese e-commerce platforms, such as toys and accessories for children.

Of them, 27 products were found to contain phthalate plasticizer at levels up to 82 times greater than the South Korean safety standards, reports Yonhap news agency.

Phthalates are banned from use in kid products as the chemicals are endocrine disruptors and exposure to them can cause cancer and other developmental issues.

Six of the 38 products had cadmium, which is classified as a Class 1 carcinogen, of levels up to 3,026 times larger than the standards, and five of the total were found to contain lead, according to the KCS.

The average price of those products came to 3,468 won ($2.52) and customers are allowed to buy them directly from sellers without meeting due import requirements.

"The government will strengthen the management and supervision of customs clearance to prevent those products from entering here and will continue to inspect substances of major products to ensure consumer safety," an agency official said.