Summer clothing and umbrellas for children, along with water play equipment, have been recalled due to excessive levels of harmful substances such as lead and phthalate-based plasticizers.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's National Institute of Technology and Standards announced on July 23 that it conducted safety investigations on 48 items and 1,117 products in high demand during the summer season, resulting in a recall order for 53 products that did not meet safety standards.
The recall includes 39 children's products, 7 household items, and 7 electrical goods. Among the children's products, 15 textile items, 6 umbrellas, and 6 toys were found to be non-compliant with safety standards. Some products exceeded the limits for harmful substances such as lead and phthalate-based plasticizers.
Household items included water play equipment and sports life jackets. Inflatable water toys did not meet thickness standards, while wearable swimming aids failed to pass load tests and valve locking criteria. Some sports life jackets were also found to have insufficient buoyancy.
Electrical goods included plugs, sockets, batteries, built-in lamps, electric vehicle chargers, lighting converters, wrinkle removers, and direct current power supplies. Defects that could lead to fire or electric shock were identified, including failures in temperature rise, external short circuit tests, and leakage protection devices.
Notably, several children's products showed significantly excessive levels. One children's raincoat had phthalate-based plasticizers detected at 504.1 times the allowable limit, while some children's umbrellas exceeded the limit by 600.1 times. Instances of lead and cadmium exceeding safety standards were also found in children's sunglasses.
The National Institute of Technology and Standards has made product information public through the Product Safety Information Center and Consumer 24 to prevent the distribution of recalled items. The products have also been registered in a hazardous product sales blocking system linked to over 260,000 retail stores and online shopping malls nationwide.
Kim Dae-ja, head of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, stated, "We will thoroughly check the compliance of recall actions by the businesses involved to ensure that these products do not circulate in the market. We will also announce the results of ongoing safety investigations on summer products purchased overseas in early August, as part of our commitment to product safety management during the summer season."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.