Dangerous lead levels found in kids activity kit sold by Chinese e-com giant

Seoul, May 2: A kids' activity kit being sold by a Chinese e-commerce giant has been found to contain lead about 158 times higher than permitted levels, the city government here said on Thursday.

The city announced the findings after conducting safety tests on nine children's products currently available for sale on AliExpress and Temu.

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

Of the products examined, two clay set models from AliExpress were found to contain two potentially toxic substances, chloromethylisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone, that are domestically prohibited from use in children's clay, reports Yonhap news agency.

The substances are biocides used in personal care products and can cause irritation to the skin, respiratory system and eyes if users are exposed to a certain level.

One of the two clay sets, in particular, had boron levels about 39 times the locally permitted degree, the city said.

Among the nine products tested, a children's activity kit was also found to have lead levels 158 times above the permitted levels in South Korea.

Additionally, a metal car toy model was determined to be unfit for children's use due to sharp edges, while a popular 12-colour pencil set from AliExpress was found to contain barium levels as much as 2.3 times higher than permitted in 10 of the 12 pencils.