[Anchor]
A significant number of dolls found in claw machine arcades, popular among both children and adults, have been found to contain hazardous substances. Some tested for substances that can hinder children's growth at nearly 350 times the legal limit.
Reporter Lee Tae-gwon has the details.
[Reporter]
Colorful dolls fill transparent claw machines.
Featuring various famous character dolls and keyrings, these machines are popular among teenagers and adults alike for offering a variety of products to win.
[Kim Se-yong / Seo-hae District, Incheon: The characters are kind of cute, so I have this urge to collect them, or there is a sort of thrill when you actually win one.]
However, when the Korea Consumer Agency investigated 20 products distributed at unmanned claw machine arcades, hazardous chemicals exceeding safety standards were detected in 12 of them, representing over half of the tested items.
[Kook Eun-sook / Head of Living Safety Team, Korea Consumer Agency: Some products were found to contain lead, cadmium, and phthalate plasticizers exceeding standard limits….]
In particular, phthalate plasticizers, which are used to make plastics flexible and act as endocrine disruptors that can hinder children's reproductive functions and physical growth, were detected in 9 products at levels up to 347.5 times the legal limit.
Lead and cadmium, classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, also exceeded standard limits by up to 2.7 times and 1.2 times across 8 and 2 products, respectively.
Furthermore, 10 popular items, including the Chinese character "Labubu," differed in shape and color from authentic products and could not be verified with genuine serial numbers or QR codes, suggesting a high likelihood of being counterfeit.
In addition, 4 out of 16 surveyed unmanned stores lacked fire extinguishers, and some locations had broken floor tiles or left dangerous items such as knives and gardening shears lying around.
The Consumer Agency plans to share the survey results with local governments, recommend on-site inspections, and request related ministries to strengthen safety management and supervision of products and facilities.
(Video Editing: Kim Yoon-sung | VJ: Jeong Han-wook | Design: Jang Seong-beom)
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