On Tuesday, city authorities in Seoul stated that children’s products sold in South Korea by Chinese e-tail giant Shein have been found to contain toxic substances, at levels hundreds of times higher than acceptable thresholds.

Shein is based in Singapore, and in recent years it has become extremely popular by selling a wide selection of cheap clothes and fashion accessories. 

Shein’s explosive growth has prompted increased monitoring of its business practices and safety standards, notably in the European Union (EU) and in South Korea, where the Seoul city authorities are conducting weekly inspections of items sold by sites like Shein, Temu and AliExpress. 

In the most recent inspection, the city authorities picked out eight products sold by Shein, including children’s shoes, leather bags and a belt, and found that several of them contained large quantities of phthalates, chemicals used to soften plastics. 

The authorities said that one pair of shoes contained 428 times the permitted levels of phthalates, and three of the bags contained amounts up to 153 times over the limit. 

Phthalates have been known for decades to cause hormonal imbalances. The presence of phthalates has been linked to obesity, heart disease, certain types of cancers and fertility problems. 

Seoul city official Park Sang-jin told the AFP agency he had requested that the products be removed from sale. He also said that, since the city began its inspections in April, most of the e-tailers involved have complied with such requests. 

Shein “takes product safety very seriously,” a spokesperson for the e-tailer told AFP, adding that Shein requires its suppliers to abide by its regulations, and is working with international agencies to ensure compliance with safety standards.

“As soon as we become aware of a complaint,” Shein added, “we will immediately remove the product(s) from our site,” in order to investigate and take appropriate action in the event of non-compliance. 

Seoul city authorities said they have tested 93 products until now, and nearly half of them were found to contain toxic substances.

In April, the EU added Shein to its list of e-tailers large enough to be subjected to stricter safety rules, including measures to protect consumers against dangerous products, especially those that could be harmful to minors.