PRODUCTS from the Chinese-founded fast-fashion company Shein have been found to contain as many as 428 times the legal limit of cancer-causing chemicals. They include children’s clothes, such as shoes, as well as bags, belts and other items.
Random testing carried out by South Korean officials revealed the worrying levels of so-called ‘forever chemicals’, which can be toxic and have also been linked to infertility and autism.
Shein is Chinese owned but headquartered in Singapore, and has become a popular shopping site in the United States, according to the Daily Mail, and is also available to Spanish shoppers at es.shein.com.
South Korea has been testing products not just from Shein, but also e-commerce sites such as AliExpress and Temu, as their popularity also rises in the Asian country.
Their tests have revealed high levels of phthalates, which are chemicals used to soften plastics and that can sometimes cause hormone disruption.
One pair of shoes that was tested, for example, had 428 times the permitted levels of these forever chemicals, while three bags had 153 times the limit.
An official from Seoul told news agency AFP that the South Korean authorities have requested that these products be removed from sale. Most platforms, the source added, have complied with these requests.
