"May Cause Nervous System Damage"... Found Even on Packaging

As products such as "wakpooball" (clay toys coated with wax) gain popularity among children, caution is required as harmful substances have been detected in some products whose age rating has been raised to 14 and older.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced today (the 31st) that after conducting safety tests on 20 products, including wakpooball, labeled for ages 14 and older sold in the market, harmful substances exceeding children's product safety standards were detected in 7 of them.

The city tested products labeled for ages 14 and older that are highly likely to be actually used by children by applying the safety standards for children aged 8 and older.

The tested items included 13 tactile products such as wakpooball, 3 party supplies including balloons, 2 keychains, 1 sticker, and 1 acrylic marker.

As a result of the tests, harmful substances or physical safety issues were identified in 7 products, including 5 tactile products, 1 sticker, and 1 keycap keychain.

First, phthalate plasticizers, which can cause endocrine disruption, were detected on the surfaces and decorations of 3 tactile products at levels up to 164.2 times the children's product standards.

In packaging materials such as zipper bags, phthalate plasticizers appeared at 142.7 times the standard limit, and cadmium, a carcinogenic substance, was detected at 1.5 times the standard level.

In dissolution tests, which check whether harmful substances leach out under the assumption that a product is put in the mouth, formaldehyde, methanol, and boron exceeded standard values in 2 products.

Formaldehyde can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and skin, while methanol can induce headaches and dizziness, and high-concentration exposure can affect the nervous system and other areas.

Excessive exposure to boron can affect reproductive functions and more.

In addition, the preservative components chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT) and methylisothiazolinone (MIT), which can cause skin irritation, were detected in 1 product.

In 1 sticker product, phthalate plasticizers were detected on the adhesive backing at 176 times the children's product standard value, and cadmium at 5 times the standard level.

In 1 keycap keychain product, a small battery became detached from the product during tensile testing.

The city explained that since a child swallowing a battery can lead to an accident, children's toys require measures to prevent easy access to batteries.

The results of this safety test can be checked on the Seoul Metropolitan Government website (seoul.go.kr).

Based on these results, the city requested platforms to suspend the sales of products purchased from overseas online platforms that exceeded children's product safety standards.

Additionally, the city distributed school newsletters to elementary schools within its jurisdiction to prevent children from mistakenly purchasing products labeled for ages 14 and older as children's products.

Informational materials were also distributed and banners were posted at sites such as the Changsin-dong Toy Street in Jongno-gu.

Meanwhile, the city plans to conduct safety tests in September on children's school supplies and school backpacks sold on overseas online platforms.
 
(Photo provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.