KOCCA Detects Hazardous Substances in Some 'Wax Bubble' and 'Mallang-i' Toys

The Korea Consumer Agency announced today (September 23) that an inspection into the safety of "wax bubble" and "mallang-i" (squishy) toys sold online revealed harmful substances exceeding domestic standards in some products.

As stress-relief tactile toys have gained popularity among both adults and children, the agency inspected 15 tactile toy products, consisting of eight wax bubbles and seven mallang-i toys.

Under the current Special Act on Safety of Children's Products, "toys" used by children aged 13 or younger must comply with domestic safety standards. However, 14 out of the 15 products tested were labeled for ages 14 and older, exempting them from standards under the act.

Nevertheless, given the high likelihood of children using them, the Korea Consumer Agency tested all 15 products for safety by applying domestic toy safety standards.

The test results showed that methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone, which are prohibited under domestic toy standards, were detected in all eight wax bubble products.

Both are substances that can cause allergic skin reactions and eye irritation.

Among them, one product contained boron elution levels exceeding the domestic allowable standard by 1.3 times.

In one out of the seven mallang-i products, phthalate plasticizers were detected at levels 6.6 times exceeding the permissible limit.

Phthalate plasticizers are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can cause damage to the liver and kidneys.

In a burn hazard test conducted by heating the seven mallang-i products in a microwave, four products ruptured within a minimum of 25 seconds and a maximum of 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Accidents have also occurred where users suffered burns after heating mallang-i products to make their textures softer.

In fact, the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) of the Korea Consumer Agency received reports in April and May of this year regarding cases where individuals suffered burns after heating mallang-i products in microwaves.

An inspection of product packaging and online sales page labeling revealed that 8 out of the 15 products failed to properly state "general labeling requirements," such as the model name, manufacturing date, importer's name, address, phone number, and recommended age.

Out of the 15 products investigated, five failed to display warnings regarding high temperatures and fire hazards, and five did not display ingestion warning labels.

The Korea Consumer Agency has recommended improvements to 17 businesses that sell and import products requiring quality and labeling upgrades, and 12 businesses have either completed measures such as halting sales and improving labels or responded that they would make future improvements.

For the five businesses that did not respond to the recommendations, the agency plans to request improvements through open markets and share the findings of this investigation with relevant government ministries.

The Korea Consumer Agency advised, "When purchasing tactile toy products for children, consumers should choose products bearing the KC certification mark," adding, "Please be cautious of high temperatures and fire hazards, and refrain from using them for purposes other than intended."

(Photo provided by Korea Consumer Agency, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.